London, Mar. 25: Television rights and not the weather, it appears convinced Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi to chose South Africa instead of England for the second edition of the twenty20 tournament.

According to The Independent, Modi did not bother going on to London as initially planned to hear a pitch from the England and Wales Cricket Board for staging the game''s most lucrative competition.

Bridgetown (West Indies)

London, Mar. 25: England cricket players Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff will lose 150,000 and 75,000 pounds respectively due to the rescheduling of the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Originally, the IPL was to start on April 10, but the event will now commence on April 18, as it has been shifted to South Africa and because the Indian cricket board wants to give its players some rest and time with their families after they return from New Zealand on April 8.

Karachi, Mar. 25 : The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made it clear that no Pakistani player would take part in second edition of the Indian Premiere League (IPL) even though it has been shifted out from India to South Africa.

"We know that some players really want to play in the IPL but I don''t think that they would be a part of it this year. They may be included in the league next year but not now. These are the harsh realities of life," The News quoted PCB's Chief Operating Officer, Saleem Altaf, as saying.

Johannesburg  - Cricket South Africa confirmed Tuesday that it had been named as the host of the 2009 Indian Premier League tournament which was relocated amid concerns over security in India.

The decision was announced after a meeting in Johannesburg between CSA boss, Gerald Majola, and Lalit Modi, chairman of the IPL. England has also been in the running.

"We are very happy to confirm that South Africa will host the 2009 DLF Indian Premier League tournament," Modi said in a statement.

Cape Town (South Africa), Mar. 24 : The Australian cricket team has put its innings and 20 run defeat against South Africa aside, and is now preparing for the opening Twenty20 International against South Africa.

According to The Age, the Proteas will host Australia for Twenty20 matches on Friday in Johannesburg and on Sunday (Monday AEDT) in Pretoria followed by next month''s five one-day internationals.