We are all aware by now that a strong fan base is the lifeblood of the Indian Premier League. We know that without its multitude of ardent fans the IPL will be reduced to dust. So perhaps the biggest blow to the second season of IPL was that it was moved out of India, a country which has more than a fair share of cricket-crazy fans who are ready to drop everything for a cricket match.

Whereas the fan-following in India ensured that no organiser would ever have to worry about stadiums running empty, South Africa has suddenly posed a new worry. Will the forthcoming matches be able to generate enough crowds to keep the stadium alive? Indian Premier League’s publicist Percy Dubash believes that they will.
Places like Durban and Pretoria have a strong Asian and NRI population. In fact IPL franchises are already looking to use the strong Asian fan base in these areas to their advantage. In addition South Africa is a popular tourist destination, and with the matches coinciding with the summer vacations in India, Dubash is confident that the tournament will bring in Indians in large numbers. And one must not forget that South Africa itself is a cricket loving nation.

On the other hand, there are many who don’t sound as optimistic as Dubash. Arthur Turner, a former cricket administrator believes that the most the IPL can do in South Africa is serve as a television product. He says “It is hard to see how eight foreign teams playing 59 matches in a foreign country will capture the imagination of the South African public. Sure there will be a curiosity factor but nothing more.” According to him Durban, due to a fairly large Indian population, might be the only place where the IPL can look for live support.

So far the IPL franchises have done everything they could to build a fan-following: cheerleaders, exclusive apparel, computer games, online cricket blogs and the works. But only when the matches begin will they know whether moving the IPL to South Africa was a financially viable idea or not.
Source – cricket360.com