Post-IPL, India has seen the mushrooming of a myriad franchise-based leagues across sporting disciplines. Hockey, football, kabaddi, badminton, chess — you name it, we have it. In this crowd, one discipline was missing and that is archery. Now the game of bows and arrows also joins the “league”. The Archery Premier League will debut in New Delhi on October 2. While the matches will be hosted at the Yamuna Sports Complex, the venue for the inauguration ceremony is likely to be Ramlila Maidan. That the whole thing should fall on Dussehra day is perhaps no coincidence.

For India’s archers, the League is indeed something to look forward to. Six franchises will participate in the tournament, each of them with names such as Prithviraj Yodhas (New Delhi), Mighty Marathas (Maharashtra), Kakatiya Knights (Telangana), Rajputana Royals (Rajasthan), Chero Archers (Jharkhand) and Chola Chiefs (Tamil Nadu).

Thirty-six Indians and 12 foreign archers were picked in the draft held in early September. Each team will have four archers — two each in recurve and compound — and the matches will be played under the lights. Recurve archery and compound archery both get their names from the types of bows used by archers.

Back to our story. “I am hoping the game will get some publicity,” is Olympian Dola Banerjee’s response to the new league. “Definitely a welcome move,” says her brother Rahul Banerjee, who too has represented India in the Olympics. Archer-turned-coach Purnima Mahato says, “Our archers will get a chance to play alongside renowned international archers. That allows for learning.” Mahato will be a coach of the Chero Archers in the Archery Premier League and was part of the Indian team in the Paris Olympics.

Fact is, when it comes to the Olympic Games, Indian archers don’t have any great repute. In Paris, Dhiraj Bommadevara and Ankita Bhakat finished fourth in a mixed team event, and Bhakat’s sullen face after the play-off said it all. Later, she said, “A bronze medal would have been a game changer.”

Invariably, critics blasted the archery contingent for another failed show. Mahato says, “It’s always easy to criticise. Archery is a technical and tough game. You are constantly in a duel with the wind. Also, qualification for the Olympics itself is a very tough process.”

For example, when Bommadevara and Bhakat started their duel with the US archer duo of Casey Kaufhold and Brady Ellison in Paris, the sun was barely out. Soon the temperature soared, and after some time it became cloudy, followed by light rain. And when the playoff was nearing its end, the sun was blazing. “Boils down to who adapts fast,” Bhakat said last year after returning from Paris. Les Invalides, the venue for archery, was also noisy, and the Indian archers had never experienced something like that before.

“Did anyone think about a quick archery round during the innings break of a cricket match? The ambience and noise of a cricket ground could help archers steel their nerves. In Paris, there was a lot of hooting from spectators and we were quite new to that,” Mahato tries to reason.

Despite repeated setbacks, there is reason to be bullish. In the next Summer Games 2028 to be held in Los Angeles, US, compound archery is set for its debut in the mixed team category. India have credible performances to brag about in the compound category and who knows luck could smile on the archers. And the newly formed League may well serve as excellent target practice.

But there is fact and there is political overture. No wonder then that a lot of people should be sceptical. “It’s a ploy for appropriation. This is normal now. Sports, religion and politics are mixed gleefully,” says Sayandeb Chowdhury, who teaches literature and culture at Krea University, Chennai. “The league may help Indian archers, but the religious symbolism and connection are glaring,” he tells The Telegraph.

Anirban Bandyopadhyay, associate professor of history in Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, Bhubaneswar, refrains from commenting but nudges at some of the inherent connections. He says, “The Rigveda says the country must have brave men well versed in archery who should maintain peace and order. In the Yajurveda, it is said that knowledge of science and archery are necessary qualities a king must have.” He adds, “The Dussehra celebrations have a profound connection with archery. The spectator becomes an active participant in the ritual performance the day Ravan’s effigy is burnt.”

Bernard D’Sami, who is a senior fellow at the Loyola Institute of Social Science Training and Research, Chennai, turns the arrow towards another salient point. “Rooted in our epics, archery is also a game of the subaltern. It’s hugely popular in the tribal areas, and thanks to continuous government support, archery is a platform to showcase their talent. Through the new league, a niche sport is being propped up for the masses.”

As for the archers, their Arjuna-focus is unwavering. Says Rahul Banerjee, “Our compound squad is loaded with talent. Like in the Korean recurve team, the competition amongst the Indian compound archers is so tough that making the cut itself is a challenge.” Mahato adds, “Not many countries were focussing on compound since it was not an Olympic sport. Now those countries have started to take it seriously.”

Let the games begin.