Lalit Modi’s second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) being played in South Africa – some irony this - has reportedly captured the imagination of cricket fans in that country, if one goes by the reports emanating from there. Unless, these reports have been arranged by Modi, of whom the Union home minister, P. Chidambaram remarked, ‘I am not as important a man as Mr Modi.’ So Modi is capable of a lot of things.

Since the IPL is being played on neutral venues there is nothing like the ‘home advantage’, though what Sehwag has said, that he would miss is the home crowd participation and support, which cannot be as intense if the matches had been played in India.

Modi must have read the comments of West Indies great Brian Lara, who observed that T20 cricket is a saviour of a game, which he believes is gradually dying. It is a version of the game which has brought in new converts because of its high entertainment value. And since there is so much time saved and, in the bargain, man hours (read working hours), it has to be said that it has come to stay. And there is a possibility that sooner than later it might replace ODIs in the conventional sense for good, leaving the field clear for Tests and T20.

For the duration of the tournament there would be a lot television fan involvement and since the teams are Indian franchisees, the excitement in India would be immense. But then one can only dismiss the whole thing as a jamboree. That the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regards the IPL as the golden goose is accepted.

Then the rival tournament, the Indian Cricket League (ICL) faces an unfortunate closure and this has ensured more power to Modi’s arm. Probably Chidambaram is thanking his lucky stars that Modi is not a professional politician for then he might have been a threat.

Who knows if the BJP has some thoughts on Modi? The popularity of cricket in this country has always attracted politicians and businessmen, and if Modi makes this jamboree a resounding success, one could well hear that he is being wooed by political parties other than the Congress!