IPL confirms South Africa switch

The 2009 Indian Premier League will now take place in South Africa.

Security concerns in India forced organisers to seek an alternative host, with England a possible destination.

But IPL boss Lalit Modi opted for South Africa following talks with Cricket South Africa (CSA), ultimately because of the favourable weather conditions.

The tournament, which will feature 59 matches across six venues, will start a week later than planned, running from 18 April to 24 May.

The opening match will be played in Cape Town, while Johannesburg will stage the final, with Pretoria, Durban, Port Elizabeth and East London also venues for matches.

"We are very happy to confirm that South Africa will host the 2009 Indian Premier League tournament," said Modi.

"The South African public loves Twenty20 cricket and CSA successfully hosted the inaugural ICC World Twenty20. Both these factors weighed heavily in South Africa's favour."

CSA chief executive Gerald Majola expressed his delight, saying: "This is a great compliment to both CSA and our nation to be shown this confidence in our ability to hold one of the world's top sporting events at short notice.

"This event will strengthen the ties even further between South African and Indian cricket, as well as binding our nations even closer together.

Indians saddened by IPL decision

News that the second Indian Premier League cricket tournament will be staged outside India has come as a major disappointment across the cricket-mad nation.

In the end the Indian government decided it simply could not take the risk.

Holding the second season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the same time as the country's general elections was too complicated and too risky.

Over the course of a month, tens of thousands of paramilitary and police personnel have to be on duty for the elections - a massive logistical exercise.

And in the aftermath of the attack of the Sri Lankan cricket team in the Pakistani city of Lahore, no-one could afford to take security for the IPL for granted.

However awkward this decision seems to be, the potential alternative could have been worse.

If there had been an attack on an IPL match - and if security was shown to be deficient - that would have been even more damaging for India's image abroad.

Locally, it could have cost the government the general elections.