Almost a year ago, world cricket entered unchartered waters when the Chinnaswamy stadium hosted the cricket match between the Bangalore Royal Challengers and the Kolkata Knight Riders - it was the first draw of the IPL 2008, a phenomenon that turned out to be an extravaganza of glitz, glamour and cricket. It might have been a heart break for a traditionalist but against the backdrop of a cricket crazy Indian sub continent, with glamour happily intertwined with the biggest cricketing talents from across the globe, there's little which went wrong with the tournament.

Come April 18, 2009 and after months of hype, excitement, controversy, politicisation and speculation the high-profile Indian Premier League will kick off its second edition in Cape town, South Africa with the Mumbai Indians facing Chennai Super Kings, two heavy weights of the tournament. The first time these two teams met in the IPL 2008, the fireworks were provided by the likes of Hayden, Raina, Dhoni and Nayar. But with stars like Tendulkar and JP Duminy set to join the bandwagon the signs for a potential humdinger are quite obvious.

And if signs are to be believed, the second edition of the entire IPL promises to be bigger and bolder than its first avatar.

A total of 263 players have been picked by franchises this time around - 73 more than in the first year. Going by the revenues the second edition of the IPL is proving to be an even bigger hit. The inaugural edition of the IPL was a grand success and it attracted contracted revenues in the range of Rs.8000 crore. This time around it has already attracted contract revenues to the tune of more than Rs 10,000 crore - around Rs. 2000 crore more than last year - thus clearly defying the recessionary trends across the globe. Likewise, the teams have increased their expenditure and have cast their web farther, in this year's IPL there are 80 overseas players compared to 66 in 2008 while there are 183 Indian players in place of 124 Indian players who played last year. All this would mean bigger sixes, crashing boundaries, flying middle stumps and thus more live music and more gyrating cheerleaders. All of which would definitely result in worldwide viewership in excess of 101 million viewers - the numbers who watched the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on television.

"The IPL has taken the game to virtually every house in the world", as said by the little master Sachin Tendulkar during IPL 2008, is literally coming true this season. Caught in the cauldron of security issues, IPL had to shift base to the Republic of South Africa for this year's edition but it is highly unlikely to affect the popularity the competition enjoys. In fact, once the logistics are taken care of, the practice facilities and the stadia in South Africa are in top class condition. South Africa at this time of the year will be experiencing autumn and thus the pitches would not be affected significantly. Also going by the phenomenal success of the ICC World T20 held in 2007 and the fact that at least nine South African players, including Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, would feature in the opening draw, we can be sure that the crowd is going to love it. The organisers have also taken into account the availability of the Indian Television audience as the fixtures start at 4.00pm and 8.00pm IST.

According to South African speedster, Dale Steyn, with the world's leading players set to grace South Africa's playing fields this year, a whole new generation of supporters will be drawn to cricket. It will also give local fans a chance to experience different cricketing cultures from much closer. Above all, it would result in the growth and development of both the game in the region and the region itself.

The format of the game itself and especially the nature of this tournament ensure that the on field drama would never cease to exist. It will scrutinise cricketers based on their execution of skill set, talent and game sense like never before. It will definitely not be for the laidback and the lily-hearted. Anything less than total dedication and effort would not go un-noticed, what with millions riding on each ball. This is the arena in which the cricketers could come into their own, and the "make or break' nature of T20 would ensure instant success or failure. Batsmen would be expected to score big and score fast, thus bowlers will have their backs to the wall, but the scenario itself would make any success for the bowlers that much more assuring. Especially in South African conditions, taking the new ball would be a highly tactical option. Extracting swing would be critical. Perfect strategic moves upfront would be expected from the captains, as once the teams fall behind there can be few rear guard actions. But the biggest drama of all would unfold when youngsters like Sanju Samson, a promising wicket keeper batsman and probably the youngest player in the tournament at 14-and-a-half, picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders would meet their childhood idols like Ganguly, Ponting and Tendulkar.

Cricket is one of the key elements of the Indian social fabric; it is truly one of the few elements which bind us together irrespective of our caste, creed or religion. As the advertisement on one of the popular television channels portray, what a spectacle it is when 100 crore Indians, all together, all in unison, do something. This time around with terror striking at the heart of cricket the basic survival of the game itself is in doubt in certain countries. Hence, 100 crore Indians and more await, the cricketing world holds its breath, South Africa expects. Welcome Indian Premier League 2009!