Of all the cricket South Africa has hosted over the last decade at home, no party has come to town here like the Indian Premier League (IPL) did back in 2009. To many here, who have good memories of the 45-day cricket carnival, it was the one-of-a-kind road show. A good 10 years after that experience, Cricket South Africa (CSA), a cricket body beleaguered with their own Global Destination T20 League becoming a non-starter, are looking for a repeat of 2009.

Either scenario is a possibility, say sources, as much as the possibility of an early election ensuring that cricket's hottest property stays at home. The BCCI is already in knots engaging with this prospect. Nonetheless, CSA is excited about it already. In fact, South Africa too is expected to host its next general elections in 2019, the same year as India. The locals here expect the country to go to polls anytime between March and July.

To underline their point of view, they refer to the recent Boxing Day Test match in Port Elizabeth, where South Africa beat Zimbabwe in under two days. "There was no interest whatsoever. Venues like Kimberley, East London, PE, they're already drying up for lack of any exciting sporting contests. Only an IPL could bring people back to the grounds in these parts," said sources