Cape Town, April 19 (IANS) The Indian Premier
League inaugurated here Saturday evening as IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit
Modi thanked the South African government and Cricket South Africa (CSA) for
extending all help to host the second edition of the league in just four
weeks.
During his speech at the opening ceremony Saturday night at the
Newlands, Modi said: 'I am proud that we have stretched our wings to new
territory. We are proud that we will leave the legacy behind in addition to the
9 million rands for education of South Africa children.
'We have connected
the two rainbow countries. I have seen that nothing is impossible in this
country. It took just four weeks for us to organise an tournament of this scale.
I am grateful to the government and the CSA for all their support,' he
said.
South African president Kgalema Motlante thanked the IPL for selecting
the country for showcasing world's cricketing talent.
'It shows the world's
confidence in South Africa in hosting the IPL, the Confederation Cup and most
importantly the 2010 World Cup,' he said.
