Kerala's Famed Snake Boats To Have An IPL-Like League - Champions Boat League

Majestic chundan vallams, also known as snake boats, rowed by over 100 oarsmen and moving like a lightning over the backwaters has been always synonymous with Kerala.

You can't see a promo of Kerala without the snake boats. Now if you were not getting enough of this spectacular races, the Kerala government has got you covered.

Champions Boat League

The Kerala Government has announced the first-of-its-kind IPL-like league.

The Champions Boat League will begin from August 10-November 1 and will have nine teams competing in 12 races.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will flag off the event on August 10, on the sidelines of the famed Nehru Trophy Boat Race at Alappuzha, in the presence of Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.

According to Kerala Tourism, CBL is the country¡¯s first-ever water-based sports league.

¡°The expected participation of national corporates and celebrities in the CBL¡¯s bidding process will give a huge impetus to Kerala¡¯s famous but largely scattered snake boat races,¡± tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran said.

Winners will be awarded Rs 25 lakhs. Second and third positions will win an amount of Rs 15 lakhs and Rs 10 lakhs respectively.

Until now boats were rowen by small clubs and neighborhood groups who used to pool in the money for the race expenditure.

While most of the scheduled boat races including the Nehru Trophy had been happening for decades now this is for the first time all the races will be brought under one banner.

The CBL will also help to popularize the race which is otherwise limited to just a few weeks every year.

It will also add to the attraction of Monsoon tourism in the state, which is already a hit among the local and foreign tourists who visit Kerala every year.