The owner of Indian Premier League team Royal Challengers Bangalore has said he would have preferred the tournament to be hosted in England over South Africa.

The lucrative Twenty20 competition was moved out of India because of a clash of dates with general elections.

IPL boss Lalit Modi cited favourable weather conditions as the reason for selecting South Africa.

But Vijay Mallya said: “An average Englishman loves cricket and the stands would have been full of spectators.”

The Challengers’ star asset is England batsman Kevin Pietersen, who was signed for a record £1.1m at the IPL auction in February.

The former England captain would have been an undoubted draw on home soil, but will now travel to the country of his birth to compete against the world’s best players in April.

The early English season is vulnerable to rain showers but with a truncated fixture schedule to arrange, IPL organisers could not afford any weather-related delays.

The owner of Indian Premier League team Royal Challengers Bangalore has said he would have preferred the tournament to be hosted in England over South Africa.

The lucrative Twenty20 competition was moved out of India because of a clash of dates with general elections.

IPL boss Lalit Modi cited favourable weather conditions as the reason for selecting South Africa.

But Vijay Mallya said: “An average Englishman loves cricket and the stands would have been full of spectators.”

The Challengers’ star asset is England batsman Kevin Pietersen, who was signed for a record £1.1m at the IPL auction in February.

The former England captain would have been an undoubted draw on home soil, but will now travel to the country of his birth to compete against the world’s best players in April.

The early English season is vulnerable to rain showers but with a truncated fixture schedule to arrange, IPL organisers could not afford any weather-related delays.