"There was just too much money riding on the tournament and cancelling it was easier said than done."-Shilpa Shetty

Shilpa Shetty, co-owner of the Rajasthan Royals, has backed South Africa to host the Indian Premier League Season Two. England and South Africa were declared front runners to host the mega event after the Board of Control for Cricket in India decided to shift the twenty20 tournament out of India due to security concerns.

IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi was due to arrive in Johannesburg today for discussions with Cricket South Africa and with South African government officials, while a separate team was on its way to England for similar discussions with the England and Wales Cricket Board. "Whichever place is suitable for the game and will make the game entertaining should be chosen," Shetty told NDTV."England seems difficult at the moment because of the weather and South Africa seems more likely."

The BCCI moved the tournament out of India after state police refused to provide security during the Indian general elections.Shetty said the choice of moving the tournament was a hard one, but it was the right decision.” If the choice had to be no tournament and a tournament in a different country, I would choose the latter - clearly choose the latter," she said.” I think Modi has taken the right call and we can all breathe a sigh of relief that the tournament is going ahead.

Shah Rukh, Shilpa, Preity back IPL shift abroad.

The svelte Kareena Kapoor unlike Preity Zinta & Shilpa Shetty who are trying their luck
In the business of cricket through the Indian Premier League (IPL), but our Bebo says she has no such plan as she doesn't have a business sense.

Asked if she planned to enter IPL like other actresses, Kareena said: "I have no idea about business. I only know how to act. As for business, I will think about it five years later.” While Preity co-owns IPL team Kings XI Punjab, Juhi is part owner of Shah Rukh's Kolkata Knight Riders and Shilpa Shetty joined the cricket bandwagon this year with beau Raj Kundra by buying a stake in Rajasthan Royals. Maybe soon our Youth Icon Pair ‘Bebo & Saif” will be the owners of IPL team next time! So not only do our cricketers compete on screen, now there will be rivalries off-screen too!

Shatrugan Says a ‘Thumbs Up’ to Bar Girls in IPL!

Actor-turned politician Shatrughan Sinha who gave more than a decade to the Bollywood industry, slammed out at organizers of IPL matches for bringing cheer girls to the stadiums, making a so-called ridicule of cricket.

“If you are so interested in deploying these cheer girls who dance after hits of fours and sixes, it is better to give chance to the bar girls who have been rendered unemployed after Maharashtra government put a ban on the dance in bars,” said Sinha.
“I am afraid that cricket, which has been shortened from five days to one day and now to the T 20 format, might be reduced to ‘Toss-Toss’ in which the winner will be decided through toss,” he said sarcastically.
Strongly criticizing the move to bring cheer girls from abroad for performing what he termed as “indecent dance” during Indian Premier League (IPL) matches, Sinha said it is “difficult to find cricket in these matches”.
Sinha, who was union minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government, also took exception to the auctioning of players for the IPL tournament. Shotgun Sinha appealed to the cricketing bosses to seriously ponder over the issue to save the glory of the great sport.