England favorites to stage the IPL

03-24-2009 | AFP

South Africa and Sri Lanka are also under consideration as alternative venues

Panama Star There are several logistical problems, apart from finding hundreds of hotel rooms at short notice for the players and support staff, in trying to shoe-horn the lucrative April 10-May 24 Twenty20 tournament, featuring 59 fixtures, into the English cricket calendar.

IPL chiefs, who are also considering South Africa and Sri Lanka as alternative venues ahead of a final decision expected in the next couple of days, are attracted to England for several reasons.

Among these are the quality of grounds, the relatively short distance between venues and the strong support for Asian teams in and around the country's major cities, which are also home to Test match grounds that could stage fixtures. "I think that all county clubs would be interested but the logistical issues in such a short space of time would be tough," Regan.