APL 9.0 Preview

It’s April, it’s APL! There is no better place to spend one of spring’s last weekends on campus than on the football field watching teams fight it out for Ashoka’s (arguably) most important intra-college trophy; the Ashoka Premier League. People who cheered for the Ashokan football teams on the sideline during Agneepath now have the chance to prove themselves on the same ground where the Alums claimed glory this year, proving their talent in the best way possible in front of the sea of fans that descend on the football field every year. But before we get into the Edict’s predictions for this year, let’s take a look at APL 8.0’s ups and downs.

APL 8.0’s auction marked a significant shift in buying strategies, as we saw a marked shift from one-man teams to well-rounded teams. Dhruv Achappa (UG'26) and Jaidhar Vashist (UG'26), however, found themselves on the wrong side of this trend, breaking the market once again with bids of over 115 million, forcing them to spend as little as possible on each player while still trying to build a competitive team. Quantity bested quality, with Shin City leading the charge and becoming early favourites to win in their debut season, led by players such as Angad Kanwar (UG’27) and Negash Zeray (UG’22). Their star men led them to the final where they fell short against Brocode BC’s Ahaan Krishnaprasad (UG'26) and Munashe Nyagono (UG’28). Ubermensch United’s Bhavin Shivaa (UG’27) shared the Golden Boot award for top goal scorer with Shin City’s Dhruv Damodhar (UG’24), while Angad Kanwar (UG’27) and Dosai Dominators’ Aania Muthreja (UG’28) won the cis-man and non cis-man MVP awards respectively.

It is also important to remember and recognise the events of day three of APL 8.0, where a player was subjected to racial remarks by an opponent. Edict Sports stands with the victim and reiterates the fact that racism and identity-based discrimination has no space in sports, and urges the reader to sensitise themselves with the help of relevant authorities. Edict Sports condemns such racially motivated behaviour, especially in a space that promises inclusivity and safety for all members. It is with a heavy heart that we choose to include this statement in our preview piece, but we must recognise such xenophobia and do our best to ensure that it does not happen again on, and off, the pitch.

Let us move on to Edict Sports’ predictions for this year’s APL, starting with:

Most underrated buy (cis-man): 

Editors’ pick: Raheem Manoj (UG'26) & Saksham Sarda (UG’27)

Writers’ pick: Arnav Yadav (UG’29) & Zonunmawia

Most underrated buy (non cis-man):

Editors’ pick: Priyanshi (UG’27) & Ava Louise Postel-vinay (VSP)

Writers’ pick: Roshni Pai (UG’27) & Ava Louise Postel-vinay (VSP)

Player that we are most looking forward to (cis-man):

Editors’ pick: Vehaan Wadhwa (UG’28) & Zonunmawia

Writers’ pick: Zonunmawia & Chirag Kulshreshta (UG’27)

Player that we are most looking forward to (non cis-man):

Editors’ pick: Mythili (UG’28) and Naintara Roy (UG’29)

Writers’ pick: Mythili (UG’28)

Breakthrough player (cis-man):

Editors’ pick: Vairaj Singh (UG’29)

Writers’ pick: Arnav Yadav (UG’29) & Ranabeer Chhabra (UG’29)

Breakthrough player (non cis-man):

Editors’ pick: Kavya Murugan (UG’29) 

Writers’ pick: Pari Dutt (UG’29) & Kavya Murugan (UG’29)

An underrated team:

Editors’ pick: Gorkha Rhinos & Grazing Goats

Writers’ pick: Picnic Party FC & Grazing Goats

Top goal scorer (cis-man):

Editors’ pick: Angad Kanwar (UG’27) & Bhavin Shivaa (UG’27)

Writers’ pick: Denzel Chinda (UG’28) & Chirag Kulshreshta (UG’27)

Top goal scorer (non cis-man):

Editors’ pick: Aania Muthreja (UG’28)

Writers’ pick: Aania Muthreja (UG’28) & Kavya Murugan (UG’29)

Most Valuable Player (cis-man):

Editors’ pick: Bhavin Shivaa (UG’27) & Samip Dahal (UG’28)

Writers’ pick: Dhruv Achappa (UG'26) & Chirag Kulshreshta (UG’27)

Most Valuable Player (non cis-man):

Editors’ pick: Aania Muthreja (UG’28) & Mythili (UG’28)

Writers’ pick: Mythili (UG’28) & Renuka Yadav (UG’28)

Favourites:

Editors’ pick: Real Babble/A2Z

Writers’ pick: A2Z/Real Babble

Our expectations from APL 9.0 (in one word):

Editors’ pick: Goals! (by non cis-man players)

Writers’ pick: Inclusivity & excitement!

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