The English weather could be the key factor against the relocated Indian Premier League being held here after the tournament's chairman, Lalit Modi, expressed his concerns about rain affecting the six-week league.

Modi flew to Johannesburg last night to speak to Cricket South Africa (CSA) administrators about their prospects of hosting the tournament instead of England.

It seems South Africa is Modi's preferred venue for the lucrative Twenty20 league as he seeks to find a host with the tournament due to begin in just 17 days.

CSA chairman Gerald Majola believes everything is in place for South Africa to stage the IPL.

"We have good stadiums, good facilities, good weather and good crowds for Twenty20 cricket," he said. "As far as we know Modi still wants the tournament to start on 10 April and from our point of view that is feasible."

Modi will today assess the venues and logistics of holding the IPL in South Africa - before conducting similar checks in England tomorrow, when a final decision will be made.

Modi (right) gave an indication of his feelings last night when he said: "We will have to evaluate clearly and carefully before coming to a decision about the venue. We need to take the weather pattern into consideration. England has easy connectivity, with a number of flights operating from India.

"The country is also well prepared, because it will host the Twenty20 World Championship - and the County Championship too is going to start.

"Weather could be a problem - and moreover because of the London Marathon next month, there could be a problem finding hotel rooms for some days. There's also the Test series between West Indies and England we have to take into account."

There are other factors which make South Africa a more attractive option including TV timings - that country is closer to India in terms of time zones - while the cost of holding the tournament is reportedly cheaper in the African nation.

The TV rights issue in South Africa is also straightforward with Supersport covering the IPL as well as international cricket in the country while here Setanta will show the tournament while SKY screen England games.

The venues in South Africa will also be free, with their domestic season finishing a day before the IPL begins.