Three-month-long Champions Boat League to begin on September 19

The Champions Boat League (CBL), the professional snakeboat racing league organised by Kerala Tourism, is set to begin next week. Its 2025 edition will feature 14 races in as many places over three months.

The inaugural race of CBL Season-5 will be at the Pampa river in Kainakary in Alappuzha district on September 19, while the finals on December 6 will coincide with the President’s Trophy at Ashtamudi Lake in Kollam.

Three races in Malabar

While many of the races will be characteristically in south Kerala, CBL-5 will have three races in the Malabar region, besides three in central Kerala. After the opening race, the league venue will shift to Dharmadom near Thalassery in Kannur district. The third race will be in Kottayam, in the Meenachil river along Thazhathangadi on September 27. Cheruvathur in Kasaragod will be the fourth venue (October 2) of the CBL, followed by two consecutive rounds in Kochi— at Piravom (the Muvattupuzha river on October 4) and at Marine Drive (Ernakulam on October 11).

Beypore, off Kozhikode, will the final venue in Malabar (October 19) for CBL-5. The eighth race (October 25) will the sole one in Thrissur district—at Kottappuram near Kodungalloor. The subsequent four venues are in Alappuzha district—Pulinkunnu (November 1), Karuvatta (November 8), Pandanad (November 15) and Kayamkulam (November 22). The race at Kallada (Kollam district) on November 29 will be the penultimate one.

Reigning champions

The reigning CBL champion is Pallathuruthy Boat Club (PBC), which retained the title for the fourth consecutive time.

The team details and the prize money will be announced shortly.

A State-level organising committee will be constituted at a meeting to be chaired by Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas in Thiruvananthapuram on September 15. A Transaction Advisor, Glitchtricks, has been appointed to facilitate sponsorships for the Champions Boat League, and can be contacted on 96337 57515.