Anyone who doubted the determination of South Africa to beat England to the prize of hosting this year's Indian Premier League was left in little doubt yesterday as the country's government joined its cricket community in enthusiastically welcoming the idea. The feeling appeared mutual after the arrival of the IPL commissioner, Lalit Modi, in Johannesburg and his proclamation that South Africa was the "preferred venue" ahead of England.

The fact that rain is inevitable in England during April and May – and that South Africa's weather is at its most predictable during that time – is an obvious consideration but there are two even more important factors which Modi and his cohorts must consider: cost and logistical "ease". The price of television and transport, not to mention accommodation and security, are less than half what they would be for the tournament to be held in England.

But it is the support of the South African government that may persuade Modi and his colleagues to relocate to the Republic. The enormity of the operation would make it impossible to organise without ministerial support and when Cricket South Africa sent a representative to the department of Home Affairs to inquire about the possibility of getting about 1,000 visas issued rather more speedily than the usual 10 days the answer was "yes".

"The opportunity to host the tournament has been put to us by [CSA chief executive] Gerald Majola and anybody would want to take this opportunity," said Cassim Docrat, chief executive of KwaZulu Natal Dolphins based in Durban. "We're heading into winter now and our grounds are available, so there's no awkward situation around timing. It would be like anybody coming to me and saying they want to hire the ground. Yes, of course we would like to have it, there are lots of positives and, from our point of view, no negatives.

"In terms of our preparation for the next season, it doesn't affect us at all. In fact, it's perfect timing for us, it's like an extension of the current season. And I am absolutely convinced that getting big crowds won't be a problem either. When we hosted the Twenty20 World Cup here, it was at the same time as the Currie Cup rugby semi-finals and finals, but we still had big crowds," said Docrat.

Andre Odendaal, the Cape Cobras chief executive, was licking his lips at the prospect of matches at Newlands in Cape Town – and the money it would bring his struggling union. "A franchise hosting the tournament would get seven games before the semi-finals and final and obviously there would be a pretty solid staging fee," Odendaal told the Hindustan Times.

"But it also gives us the opportunity to develop relations with an Indian franchise and that could be important in these days. There are absolutely no drawbacks for us. In fact it's a huge sign of confidence in South African administrators and infrastructure. We know how to do these international events, we've held several of them very successfully.

"April and May is also a perfect time in Cape Town, it's probably when the weather is at its calmest. It gives us an extra window to showcase our stadium and to give more cricket to our supporters."

There is still good reason to speculate that Modi is calling the Indian government's bluff in the belief that the potential loss of revenue and jobs would lead to them reviewing their assertion that security resources would be too stretched with federal elections and IPL running concurrently. But when Johannesburg's premier hotel for sporting teams, the Sandton Sun and Towers, confirmed last night that four IPL executives had reserved rooms for two months – starting today – it appeared clear that the "bluff" was one they were prepared to carry out.

Seven South African provincial chief executives were consulted last Friday on the feasibility of staging the tournament, 24 hours before the CSA chief executive Majola issued a statement denying all knowledge of the IPL's approach, and they were unanimous in support for each other and confidence in their ability to get the job done.

Everybody from the SA players' association to the national Tourism Board has also thrown their weight behind the tournament being staged in South Africa. The only difficulty the country may face should Modi choose South Africa would be finding enough red carpet to roll out.