Tiruvalla, 24rd April: Dhronacharya K P Thomas Mash will inaugurate  the 36th edition of Kerala State Youth  Basketball Championship here, today at 5p.m. The championship is organized by Idukki District Basketball Association under the guidance of Kerala Basketball Association . The four day championship will be played at Shanthal Jyothi Public School Flood lit Indoor Stadium and will feature teams from fourteen districts in boys category and in girls category- teams from 13 districts. 

The championship  will be played on a knock out basis and in girls section there will also be  knock out matches for losers in preliminary round

The championship is seen as the prelude to the 36th Youth National Championship to be held at Coimbatore from 14th  to 21st  May 2019 .  The players leveled up to play for National Championship will be selected from this State Championship.  Kottayam Boys and Thiruvanthapuram Girls are currently the defending champions . 

Earlier the championship was to be scheduled at St Marys Polytechnic College Valliyode, Pallakad  from 11th to 15th May and was planned to be played on a league cum Knock out basis but later has to be preponed   due to the announcements of  dates  of  Youth National Championship for Boys and Girls by  Basketball Federation of India.The Idukki District Basketball Association then  expressed their intend  to host the state championship at Shanthal Jyothi Public School Floodlit Indoor Stadium at  Muttom within a short notice .