IPL moves to SA but where do city loyalties go?

Johannesburg: The "city loyalties" that had been built up in the competitive spirit of the inaugural IPL T20 series in India last year will pose a major challenge when its organisers host the second edition of the tournament in South Africa next month.

Responding to a question at a media conference here Tuesday evening, Lalit Modi, chairman and commissioner of the IPL, said this was "a very important question."

"What is very important is that the teams still remain the city teams. All our teams are working with their communities across their cities in India to be building on that.

"At the end of the day, the Mumbai Indians are the Mumbai Indians and the Delhi Daredevils are the Delhi Daredevils. Each if these teams are working within their own catchment area in ensuring that their fan bases are able to watch their players in action and watch the games live. It is extremely important for us to have that continuity."

Modi confirmed that all the games would be broadcast live at prime time in India, which is three and a half hours ahead of South Africa.

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