New Delhi: Monideepa Bose can't wait for the Indian Premier League to start, even though the glitzy Twenty20 tournament is taking place in far away South Africa rather than at home.
Bose, 39, a Delhi housewife with two school-going children, is not a big cricket fan but was hooked to the IPL's inaugural season last year for entirely personal reasons.
"Suddenly, I found my husband returning home early from office and my children also preferred to stay at home in the evenings -- because they all wanted to watch the IPL on television.
"It was total bliss for six weeks. I followed it too...because I did not want to be left out of the conversation which was entirely about the IPL," she said.
The Bose family bonding was played out in many homes across India as millions in the cricket-mad country stayed glued to the action, a heady mix of cricket and Bollywood dance and drama.
The excitement is expected to be high even though this year's tournament -- touted as a domestic Indian event -- was forced to shift out of the country after the government declined to provide it adequate security.
The government refused to release paramilitary forces to guard the 59-match event since the dates clashed with parliamentary elections that will be held in five phases from April 16 to May 13.
Leading cricketers, including Sachin Tendulkar, said the IPL will not be the same away from home where they are used to being cheered by packed crowds upwards of 60,000.
"We will miss the support we got last year," said Tendulkar, the highest run-getter in Tests and one-dayers who leads his home team of Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
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