KOTTAYAM:
The second leg of the pioneering Champions Boat League (CBL) will be held tomorrow (September 7, Saturday) at Thazhathangadi here.
Nine snakeboats are set to row down the 900-metre distance of the Meenachil river in three heats that will be followed by the final of the day in the evening. The Kerala Tourism-organised CBL, which is modelled on the lines of IPL cricket, will choose the winners on November 23 at the end of 12 races slated across weekends in various parts of the state.
The first round of the CBL on August 31 at Alappuzha saw Tropical Titans (traditionally, Pallathuruthi Boat Club) top the race, followed by Coast Dominators (United Boat Club). Raging Rowers (Police Boat Club) and Mighty Oars (NCDC) had finished third and fourth respectively in the races at the Punnamada backwaters.
The five other CBL teams are Backwater Warriors (Town Boat Club), Backwater Knights (Village Boat Club), Pride Chasers (Vembanad Boat Club), Thunder Oars (KBC/SFBC), and Backwaters Ninjas (Brothers Boat Club).
The winners of the September 7 round will secure 10 points and Rs 5 lakh, followed by 8 points and Rs 3 lakh for the team finishing second. The third team will get 7 points and Rs 1 lakh. The team securing the fourth position will get 6 points, fifth position 5 points and so on. The team coming last in a boat race will get one point. The team that finishes fastest in both heats and finals will earn 5 bonus points.
All participating teams are entitled to Rs 4 lakh per match. The overall winner of the championships is entitled to Rs 25 lakh, followed by Rs 12 lakh and Rs 10 lakh for the second and third prize winners.
Kerala Tourism Secretary Rani George, will inaugurate the Thazhathangadi round of CBL at 2.45 pm in the presence of Director Tourism, P Bala Kiran, and Kottayam District Collector, P K Sudheer Babu. The races will be broadcast live. Star Sports 2, Star Sports 2 HD, Star Sports 1 Tamil, Asianet Worldwide, Asianet Plus, Hotstar, ETV Andhra Pradesh and ETV Telangana will beam the event for an hour from 4 pm.
Tickets can be booked online through ‘Book my Show’ platform, besides outlets that facilitate spot purchase of tickets. The prices range from Rs 200 to 2,000.
The Thazhathangadi leg will be followed by races on September 14 at Karuvatta, Alappuzha. The rest of the schedule goes so: September 28 (Piravam, Ernakulam district), October 5 (Marine Drive, Kochi), October 12 (Kottappuram, Thrissur district), October 19 (Ponnani, Malappuram), October 26 (Kainakari, Alappuzha), November 2 (Pulinkunnu, Alappuzha district), November 9 (Kayamkulam, Alappuzha), November 16 (Kallada, Kollam district) and November 23 (Kollam, along with President’s Trophy Boat Race).
