SOUTH Africa has been given an awesome opportunity to host the IPL, and I believe we can do a professional job hosting the tournament. — Ross Douthwaite, Margate

However, international players have indicated that their only reservation is the lack of crowd support they will receive, compared to what they would get in India.

We obviously can’t imitate the thrill of a T20 game with 80,000 loyal spectators, but we still need to generate interest in the teams playing to build up tension and support prior to each game played.

I suggest that you create a column dedicated to the IPL tournament, which in the weeks prior to the start of the first game will educate the general population about the inner workings of each side. It may also be an idea for a province or local team (Titans, Pirates, etc) to “adopt” a side.

This will hopefully help generate friendly rivalry that can be found at a local level.
Source – thetimes.co.za