England all-rounder Kevin Pietersen has backed South Africa as the choice for second edition of the Indian Premier League and is hoping the Twenty20 extravaganza will be highly popular in the rainbow nation.
Pietersen, who was bought by Bangalore Royal Challengers for a whopping US $1.55 million, feels the good weather and hard pitches will add to the attraction of the 37-day tournament in its new location.
"The weather will be good, the pitches will be hard and there should be some exciting cricket with some really big scores, which is what T20 is all about.
"England would have been a great host for the tournament as well, but now they've made the decision to go to South Africa I think everybody will get behind it and turn it into another massive event," the 28-year-old cricketer was quoted as saying in The Mirror.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India decided to shift the cash-rich event out of India after its government refused to assure adequate security to the tournament, dates of which were clashing with the general elections in the country.
South Africa-born Pietersen, who will lead Bangalore Royal Challengers, exuded confidence that the event will be a huge success in South Africa.
"It will be great fun. The South African public loves their Twenty20 and I'm sure it will be another great spectacle, like the World T20," Pietersen said.
"Having some family back in South Africa means I will get the best of both worlds. We'll play in front of some passionate fans," he added.
The tournament will now run a week later than initially planned, from April 18 to May 24, which will reduce the participation of Pietersen and his fellow-England cricketers from three to two weeks.