KOCHI: The tranquil backwaters of Kerala are all set to witness electrifying races with the Champion’s Boat League (CBL) beginning in September, after a gap of two years. “The second edition of CBL will be held from September 4 to November 26 at 12 venues across five districts,” Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas announced here on Saturday.
The inaugural leg of the snake boat race will be held in the Punnamada lake in Alappuzha alongside the iconic Nehru Trophy Boat Race on September 4. The league organised on the lines of Indian Premier League cricket will conclude with the President’s Trophy Boat Race to be held in the pristine waters of the Ashtamudi lake in Kollam on November 26. The boat league will be organised by the Kerala Tourism as consecutive weekend events. Though launched in 2019, CBL could not be conducted in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.
CBL: Half of the races in Alappuzha district
The CBL will have half of the races in Alappuzha district, two each in Kollam and Ernakulam districts and one each in Thrissur and Kottayam districts.The venues in Alappuzha are Pulinkunnu, Kainakary, Karuvatta, Pandanadu (Chengannur) and Kayamkulam, besides the district headquarters. Piravom and Marine Drive will be the venues in Ernakulam while Kollam town and Kallada will be the venues in Kollam district. Thazhathangadi in Kottayam and Kottapuram near Kodungallur in Thrissur district are the other two venues.
“There will be an allied round featuring a competition of small boats at the Chaliyar river in Kozhikode district,” said the minister, who also unveiled the jerseys of the nine CBL teams. Kerala Tourism principal secretary K S Srinivas and director of tourism P B Nooh were present on the occasion.