March 24, New Delhi – India will begin the new international archery season with a new team at the Asia Cup, which starts in Bangkok today.
India will rely on a mix of young and experienced archers, rather than established stars.
They will be without Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat, and Dhiraj Bommadevara, as the Indian team wants to assess the strength of its younger players before a busy season, culminating in the Asian Games in Japan in September-October.
However, top Indian archers will be back in action in the first two legs of the World Cup in Mexico and Shanghai.
Despite the absence of its star archers, the overall champions are expected to be strong contenders.
In the opening leg of last year's World Cup, India topped the medal table with eight medals, including five gold medals.