For a man who knows it all, there must be some explanation why IPL commissioner Lalit Modi, an astute businessman, didn’t know about 'Mediterranean-type' climate until he ran into it.

One of the primary reasons why the IPL preferred South Africa over England was the bad weather in Ol' Blighty. South Africa, it was concluded, would be safe and sunny. But as the IPL is experiencing now, the theory doesn't apply to all parts of the Rainbow Nation. Cape Town, for example, gets rains only in the winter. And the irony couldn’t have been more striking as the England’s domestic cricket has started in surprisingly pleasant conditions

However, in an edition where everything seems to be going wrong, the elements have been only a minor dampener. Modi’s biggest worry must be the number of lopsided matches. Twenty20 cricket thrives on photo finishes, but of the six IPL matches until Tuesday night, even one hasn't gone down to the wire. The victory margins have been huge – 10 wickets, eight wickets, 92 runs, 75 runs. And then there are those uncalled-for 'strategy breaks', which kill the momentum of the game.

But every dark cloud has a silver lining. Even in the middle of this insipid start, there have been a few moments of genuine brilliance that have punctuated the yawns. Virat Kohli stepping out to Shane Warne, and in the process making a fool of himself; the triumvirate of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly (the bowler) proving they are good enough for Twenty20; and, of course, Bruno the dog’s 14-minute cameo that generated uninterrupted applause as he roamed about freely during the Chennai-Mumbai match at Newlands on the first day.

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