Wilson NgCobo has had to deal with tremendous workload over the last couple of days, first in trying to get the square ready and then in pulling those huge green plastic sheets on and off the ground. The chief groundsman at Kingsmead shrugs his shoulders when asked about the exercise, and about the forecast of more rain in Durban over the next fortnight. Moved to South Africa with much fanfare, worries for the Indian Premier League (IPL) seem to be growing just three days into the event because of combination of problems — some man-made and some that the organisers have no control over.

Five of the seven games in the tournament have already seen delayed starts — one had to be curtailed to a six-over chase, one was aborted midway, and one had to be abandoned due to inclement weather. The sunny South African climate was touted as one of the reasons why Lalit Modi opted for this country as the venue instead of England, but Messrs Duckworth and Lewis have showed up on the scoreboard more often that the big hitters whose party the T20 tournament was supposed to be.

After a slightly lukewarm response in Cape Town on the weekend, the IPL was hoping to take off here in Durban, where a huge Indian community was waiting for their favourite cricketers and Bollywood stars. But on day one, the stands were less than half full, and those who did turn up had to be content with grooving to remixed Hindi songs as the weather allowed only 31 of the 80 promised overs to be bowled in the double-header.

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