Lalit Modi (L) and Shah Rukh Khan (R) at a press conference - AFP photo.

NEW DELHI Monideepa Bose can't wait for the Indian Premier League to start, even though the glitzy Twenty20 tournament is taking place in far away South Africa rather than at home, AFP reported.

Bose, 39, a Delhi housewife with two school-going children, is not a big cricket fan but was hooked to the IPL's inaugural season last year for entirely personal reasons.

'Suddenly, I found my husband returning home early from office and my children also preferred to stay at home in the evenings — because they all wanted to watch the IPL on television.

'It was total bliss for six weeks. I followed it too...because I did not want to be left out of the conversation which was entirely about the IPL,' she said.

The Bose family bonding was played out in many homes across India as millions in the cricket-mad country stayed glued to the action, a heady mix of cricket and Bollywood dance and drama.

The excitement is expected to be high even though this year's tournament — touted as a domestic Indian event — was forced to shift out of the country after the government declined to provide it adequate security.

The government refused to release paramilitary forces to guard the 59-match event since the dates clashed with parliamentary elections that will be held in five phases from April 16 to May 13.

Leading cricketers, including Sachin Tendulkar, said the IPL will not be the same away from home where they are used to being cheered by packed crowds upwards of 60,000.

'We will miss the support we got last year,' said Tendulkar, the highest run-getter in Tests and one-dayers who leads his home team of Mumbai Indians in the IPL.

'The concept of home and away games has gone this year. This is what we will miss the most.'

Federal home minister P. Chidambaram, whose office opposed holding the IPL at the time of the elections, said fans will not be deprived of the action.

'I am told 98 per cent of the cricket-watching public sees matches on television, so where is the problem?,' Chidambaram said.

Matches will, like last year, still be played from 4pm and eight pm Indian time to suit the vast television audiences even though South African fans are unlikely to be enthused by a 1230pm start on weekdays.

'The IPL is a television spectacle and that will remain,' said Amrit Mathur, the chief operating officer of the Delhi Daredevils team led by prolific Indian opener Virender Sehwag.

'Of course, it would have been better if it was played in India. It is an Indian tournament. But we are happy it is taking place at all.'

The IPL will be competing for eyeballs and media coverage this year with the other IPL — the Indian Political League — and no one is predicting which one will win.

IPL boss Lalit Modi conceded the IPL could take a hit on May 16 when counting of votes takes place to decide the new government. Two matches are scheduled that day.

'We could not have a blank day due to the tight schedule, but I admit there will be lot of interest in the counting,' he told NDTV channel. 'On other days I am confident people will follow the cricket.'

The tournament opens with a double-header in Cape Town on Saturday.