The Champions Boat League (CBL), organised by Kerala Tourism and modelled after the Indian Premier League (IPL), will take place at Feroke, near Beypore, along the Chaliyar river on Sunday (October 12, 2025).
Minister for Tourism and Public Works P.A. Mohamed Riyas will inaugurate the competitions, which feature 15 boats racing along the course between the old Feroke bridge and the new bridge. The events are set to begin at 2 p.m., a press release said.
Each boat will have 30 rowers, with five heats followed by three finals: the first losers, the losers, and the final race, scheduled as per the timetable. Prize distribution will take place at 5 p.m. Water exercises will also be held during intervals between the boat races.
Mr. Riyas said that the huge public participation in the boat race held at Dharmadam proves that the CBL competitions have become a massive hit among the people of Malabar. “The Tourism department is working to identify new tourism opportunities for every season. The CBL will be developed to allow domestic and foreign tourists visiting Kerala during the boat racing season to watch the event in any district,” he said.
The participating teams are AKG Podothuruthy A Team, AKG Podothuruthy B Team, Red Star Karyakode, New Brothers Mayiccha, Vayalkkara Mayiccha, AKG Mayiccha, Vayalkkara Vengat, VBC Kuttivayal (Fighting Star Club), Krishna Pillai Kavumchira, Pallidon Acham Thuruthi A Team, Pallidon Acham Thuruthi B Team, Azhikodan Acham Thuruthi, EMS Muzhakeel, Navedaya Mangalassery, and Dharmadam Boat Club.
The participating boats will receive a bonus of ₹1 lakh each. The first, second, and third place winners will receive ₹1.5 lakh, ₹1 lakh, and ₹50,000, respectively. In addition to Dharmadam and Beypore, Cheruvathur in Kasaragod will also host a boat race as part of the Malabar leg of the CBL on October 19.
Feroke municipal chairperson N.C. Abdul Razak will preside over the flag-off event, which will be attended by M.K. Raghavan MP, Mayor Beena Philip, district panchayat president Sheeja Sasi, District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh, Kerala Tourism Infrastructure Limited chairman S.K. Sajeesh, and former MLA V.K.C. Mammad Koya.
Published – October 11, 2025 08:24 pm IST
