ALAPPUZHA:
Tropical Titans are high on morale as the team leading the point table in the pioneering Champions Boat League (CBL) that is poised for its third leg tomorrow (September 14, Saturday) at Karuvatta in this coastal district.
At the picturesque venue 27 km south of here, nine snake boats will vie for honours at the three-month CBL being organised by the Kerala Tourism on the lines of IPL cricket. Currently, after the first two rounds, Tropical Titans top the list with 25 points by winning both the earlier CBL races at the Punnamada lake in Alappuzha (August 31) and Thazhathangadi river in Kottayam (September 7). Pride Chasers (15 points) stand second, while Mighty Oars (14 points) are in the third position.
The CBL 2019 features a total of 12 boat races on weekends, concluding with the finals on November 23 that will decide the winner of the trophy. The September 14 CBL leg, to be held alongside the traditional Karuvatta Boat Race, will begin at 2.30 pm and end at 5 pm. There will be three heats of three teams each, followed by the second loser’s final and loser’s final before the final CBL race of the evening.
The winners of the day secure 10 more 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 that finishes fastest in both heats and finals will earn 5 bonus points.
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 six other CBL teams are Coast Dominators (13 points), Raging Rowers (13), Backwater Warriors (8), Thunder Oars (6), Backwater Knights (5) and Backwaters Ninjas (3).
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. 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 between Rs 200 and Rs 2,000. The Karuvatta leg will be followed by races on September 28 at Piravam in Ernakulam district. There is no race the following Saturday.
The rest of the schedule goes so: 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).
