The CAFIT Premier League 2026 beach cricket tournament, which kicked off at Kozhikode Town Beach on April 24, 2026, is much more than just another corporate cricket event. It is a vibrant celebration of sport, community, and the fast‑growing IT ecosystem of Malabar, playing out under the palm trees and sea breeze of one of Kerala’s most iconic urban beaches.
What is the CAFIT Premier League?
The CAFIT Premier League (CPL) is an annual corporate cricket tournament organised by the Calicut Forum for IT (CAFIT), a collective of IT companies and professionals based in and around Kozhikode. The forum’s core aim is to build a stronger, more connected Malabar‑IT ecosystem through networking, skill development, and cultural and sporting activities. The CPL sits at the intersection of these goals: it brings together employees from multiple IT firms into a shared, high‑energy sporting platform and turns the beach into a temporary cricket carnival.
The 2026 edition is being held over three days from April 24 to April 26 on a specially prepared ground at Kozhikode Town Beach, right in the heart of the city. The tournament follows a brisk six‑over‑per‑innings format, with eight players per side, designed to keep matches short, fast‑paced, and spectator‑friendly. A total of 35 teams are competing: 29 men’s teams and six women’s teams, drawn from various IT companies operating in the Malabar IT corridor. This mix of genders and companies not only adds diversity to the competition but also reinforces the event’s message of inclusivity and workplace wellness.
Venues, timing, and atmosphere
Matches are being played from 3 PM to 11 PM, transforming the evening beachfront into an open‑air cricket stadium lit by floodlights and the glow of the Arabian Sea. The sight of a marked cricket pitch laid out on the sand, with the sea on one side and the city skyline on the other, creates a unique visual identity that sets CPL apart from conventional ground‑based leagues. Food stalls, sponsor booths, and informal seating along the shingle add to the festival vibe, turning the venue into a social hub where employees, families, and cricket fans mingle between overs. For Kozhikode, this is a rare instance of mainstream sport moving out of fenced stadiums and into the public, accessible space of the beach.
Inauguration and key stakeholders
The CPL 2026 was formally inaugurated by Sushanth Kurunthil, CEO of Infopark and Government Cyber Park, underscoring the event’s importance to the broader IT cluster development agenda of the region. Government Cyber Park’s Chief Operating Officer Vivek Nair, CAFIT President Rifath Rahman, Secretary Prajeesh K.K., former CAFIT President and CPL Chairman Abdul Gafoor K.V., and sponsor representatives were also present at the launch ceremony. This level of institutional backing signals that CPL is not just a “fun‑day” tournament but a strategic initiative to improve employee wellbeing, encourage physical activity among sedentary IT professionals, and deepen the sense of belonging within the Malabar‑IT community.
For Kozhikode, the CAFIT Premier League reinforces the city’s image as a hub where technology, culture, and recreation blend seamlessly. The Malabar IT corridor, anchored by Government Cyber Park and multiple private IT parks, has seen rapid expansion in recent years, and CPL provides a visible, human‑scale symbol of that growth. By encouraging IT professionals to step away from their screens and play in a team environment, the league also addresses rising concerns about sedentary work culture and mental stress in the tech sector. Organisers have explicitly positioned CPL as a tool to foster teamwork, discipline, and camaraderie, qualities that benefit both individual employees and their companies.