The crowds will soon develop their own favourites

The IPL Season I was always going to be a tough act to follow, and it seems just the other day when the best cricketers in the world assembled in India to play six weeks of pulsating cricket. When I look back at the inaugural season, what I remember is the absolutely spectacular opening ceremony, which actually got dwarfed by the intensity of the match between us and the Kolkata Knight Riders. We were second best on the night, but the intensity with which the game was played proved to the world that while IPL was trumped up as an incredible marriage of Bollywood with cricket, it was in essence about tough, combative cricket at the highest level.

Even as a South African, I would have to admit that the my immediate reaction to the news that the Indian Premier League was being shifted out of India, to South Africa, was one of disappointment. The tournament is obviously Indian in essence, and I still feel that we will miss the frenzy and excitement that is part of cricket in India. That said, it was also a bit of good news on the personal front, and the families of all the South African cricketers were delighted when they heard that we would not be traveling out again.

It might interest readers in India to know that the IPL Season I was keenly followed on television all over South Africa, and most cricket lovers here are really clued in on the various teams in the fray. No wonder then, that there is a tremendous buzz around the tournament, and don't be surprised if you see large, vociferous crowds at the games. Cricket has received a tremendous shot in the arm in South Africa after the national team's recent successes, and the IPL will benefit from the enthusiastic support that the sport has been enjoying here. Apart from that, South Africans are present in almost all the teams, so the crowds will soon develop their own favourites. In fact, as a team with more than its share of South Africans, we are counting on being well-supported wherever we go.

The Royal Challengers, Bangalore, will be a keenly watched team this time round, and that is not only because of the large number of local boys aka South Africans in the team. The team was one of the most keenly watched ones last year, and I would be the first to admit that we did not live up to the expectations of our supporters.

To be fair, a lot of the hype ahead of the inaugural IPL was media created and the team itself had nothing to do with it. We also happened to have a very well-known owner in Dr Vijay Mallya, who quite naturally, expected a lot of his team. If cricket is a cruel game, the T20 version is really brutal. If you get a couple of unlucky breaks in your first few games, it's hard to turn the tide. This is why I feel that the one thing we need to do this time is start well.

Momentum is a huge factor in a tournament like the IPL and we need to get going early. The Rajasthan Royals demonstrated how a team is hard to stop once they get on a hot streak. If you have the momentum to win enough games to make the last four, the rest depends on how good you are on the given evening. Of the final four, only Kings XI Punjab rallied from behind – the rest made it comfortably because they began well.

For Bangalore, the biggest change is the entry of Kevin Pietersen as captain of the side for the games that he is available. He is part of the team for the first half of the league stage before national duty reclaims him. I remember Kevin Pietersen as a youngster playing in South Africa. Since I was already in the national side when Kevin was playing his first-class cricket for Natal, I did not know him personally. However, I did play against him on a couple of occasions. Even though it was early in his career, Kevin was earmarked as a player to watch out for as much for his shrewd cricketing brain as for his incredibly destructive batting. Speed is of essence in T20 cricket, particularly as far as decision-making is concerned. Kevin is young and familiar with this format, and he has the confidence to back his instincts.

Captaining at the IPL is in some ways more demanding than at any other level because each team has a few players who have captained national sides. Today, Kevin is one of the most prominent cricketers in the world. He has always relished a challenge and loves to lead by example, qualities that will be required of him in the coming weeks. It will certainly help that he is quite familiar with the conditions in South Africa, and while I have not yet spoken to him about strategy, it will be interesting to share the dressing room with him.

The other interesting entrant in our unit would have to be Jesse Ryder, who had an exceptional series against India. He is also a player who can change the course of a game, and I think he has the game that will suit South African conditions. This edition has plenty of new players like Ryder and Jean Paul Duminy who can play decisive roles in their team. Last year proved that the IPL was as good a platform as any for a young player to announce himself on the international scene, and ambition is going to spur many youngsters, from India and elsewhere, to put up special performances this time as well.

As a team, it is important that we learn from the last season without really dwelling too much on our final standing. If the inaugural season was a batsman’s tournament, this one could well be one in which a few of the quick bowlers will dominate. I will not be surprised to see some of them emerging as the top performers this time round. Even if that does not really happen, I feel that conditions in South Africa, particularly the pace and the bounce will ensure a more balanced contest. T20 will remain skewed in favour of the batsmen, but it really becomes an interesting contest when the bowlers are at least able to make the batsmen sweat for their boundaries.

The beautiful people from India have already arrived in South Africa and more are expected through this week. Shah Rukh, Preity, Shilpa and of course Lalit Modi are all in South Africa and they have ensured that the glitz and glamour that propelled the IPL into prominence remains untouched even outside India. However, for us cricketers, the main challenge is to keep the eye on the ball and as professionals it's all about playing with pride for our teams. It's important to be focused from the start because, as I said earlier, in tournaments like this a good beginning is extremely important.

South Africa has responded amazingly to the challenge of getting this tournament started with such little notice. However, the excitement of the fans and the steady influx from India of team owners, sponsors and spectators has been helping creating a tremendous sense of anticipation for the tournament. The stage is now set for Season II and it's upto us to ensure that the magic of Season One continues, this time with a South African twist. (Gameplan)