When Lalit Modi’s flight path crossed Johannesburg instead of London, it was almost clear which country is going to be the proud host of Indian Premier League this year. It was confirmed when IPL commissioner Lalit Modi made the announcement around 5pm local time (8.30pm IST) after concluding the meeting with his counterpart in Cricket South Africa (CSA) Gerald Majola. As it emerged at the news conference held in Johannesburg, the twenty-20 tournament is going to be curtailed by a week.

 

Cricket360 Earlier Reported: South Africa ahead of England in the Race to Host IPL

 

The tournament was originally slated to start from April 10, now it will start from April 18.  The arrangement was made to accommodate the South African domestic season, which ends a day before the Twenty-20 tournament commences. The 59 matches will take place at six venues in South Africa over 36 days and the likely venues include: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and East London. The precise schedule is yet to be announced and it will be out in a day or two. The venues would be allotted keeping in mind weather conditions. For instance, cities which become extremely cold in May would be allotted games in April.

England had been the front runner in the race for hosting IPL, but South Africa emerged as the winner and the triumph can be attributed to the positive attitude shown both by CSA and South African government.  “The decision to move the tournament was one of the hardest decisions the board has taken,” said Mr. Modi. He added that weather condition and broadcasting time played the most important factor in choosing South Africa over England.  He promised the cricket lovers back home that there would be games daily at 4 and 8 p.m. in India, which is just three hours ahead of South Africa.

The inside sources reported that the South African Government resorted to heavy lobbying to take IPL to their country. There are more cricket news about the government’s promise about speeding up of visa process and special discounts on accommodation and logistics. The domestic provinces that are going to host the matches are expected to earn revenues that are expected to touch an amount as big as 50 million rand (Rs 25.6 crore) from the upcoming cricket tournament. “With the Soccer World Cup scheduled next year, South Africa is keen to send the signal that it is an ideal sporting destination,” said an insider.

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