Bangkok, March 23 India will kick off the new international archery season with a young squad at the Asia Cup Stage 1, relying on a blend of promising teenagers and experienced veterans instead of established stars in the tournament beginning here on Tuesday.
The team will be without Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat, Dhiraj Bommadevara, Tarundeep Rai, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, and Abhishek Verma, as the Indian think-tank wants to use the continental opener to test bench strength ahead of a busy season culminating in the Asian Games in Japan in September-October.
However, the top Indian archers will be back in action with the first two legs of the World Cup in Puebla (Mexico) and Shanghai starting April.
Despite the absence of its star archers, the overall champions are the strong favorites. In the last year's opening leg, India topped the standings with eight medals, including five golds. The team aims to maintain its dominance in the Asia Cup circuit, which has been missed by the world's top teams, South Korea.
China and Bangladesh are India's main rivals.
In the men's recurve section, Australian Ryan Tyack is the top-ranked archer, ranked No. 27 in the world, while in the women's section, Russian-born neutral athlete Nurinisso Makhmudova (ranked No. 45) is the highest-ranked archer.
The spotlight will be on India's formidable men's compound unit, led by world No. 4 Rishabh Yadav, along with Asian Games gold medallist Prathamesh Jawkar and the experienced Rajat Chauhan.
They aim to defend their title.
Last year, Kushal Dalal was the individual champion. He, along with Manav Jadhao and Ganesh Thirimuru, won the team gold.
Yadav, one of India's most consistent performers, will look to build on his historic World Championships gold in the team event last year.
The women's compound side will enter a rebuilding phase in the absence of Jyothi, with 20-year-old Chikitha Taniparthi leading the charge.
Ranked 37th in the world, she returns to a venue where she won a team bronze last year and will be supported by comeback archers Tejal Salve and Swati Dudhwal, along with the experienced Raj Kaur.
None from the women's compound side won an individual medal in 2025, and Chikitha and her team will aim to achieve this this time.
Eighteen-year-old Tejal won a gold in the Singapore Asia Cup Leg 2 last year, while 34-year-old Raj was a member of the 2019 world championship bronze medal-winning team.
The 30-year-old Swati is also making a comeback, having won a gold medal at the World University Championship in 2016 and a gold at the 2015 Asian Archery Championship here.
In recurve, the focus will be on a young core trying to find its feet on the big stage.
Devaang Gupta, fresh from a gold at the Khelo India University Games and a silver at the 2024 Pan American Championships, leads the men's side alongside promising names like Juyel Sarkar and 18-year-old debutant Aarav Punia, while Sukhchain Singh makes a comeback after five years.
The 20-year-old Juyel from West Bengal Archery Academy Jhargram is being touted as one to watch.
He has been competing at the international level since 2022 but has yet to win an individual medal.
He has won a team gold (Leg 2, 2022) and silver medals (2023 and 2025 Asia Cup).
The women's recurve team also features a mix of youth and experience, with Ridhi Phor returning after three years to anchor the side that includes Anshika Kumari, Ruma Biswas, and debutant Kirti.
India dominated the previous edition with Vishnu Chaudhary and Rahul winning the top two spots in the men's recurve, and Basanti Mahato winning the women's title.
The men's teams swept the gold in both recurve and compound.
The Asia Cup, featuring 194 archers from 19 countries, offers crucial world ranking points and serves as an early testing ground.
Indian Squad:
Recurve, men: Devaang Gupta, Aarav Punia, Juyel Sarkar, and Sukhchain Singh; women: Kirti, Anshika Kumari, Ruma Biswas, and Ridhi.
Compound, men: Rajat Chauhan, Prathamesh Jawkar, Uday Kamboj, and Rishabh Yadav; women: Swati Dudhwal, Raj Kaur, Tejal Salve, and Chikitha Taniparthi.