Napier, March 25: The IPL being shifted to South Africa has come as a blessing in disguise for the New Zealand players. For, they would have had to catch the flight right after the third Test to head to India had the original scheduled of April 10 stood. The Kiwis see the eight-day postponement in the revised dates as a welcome gap.

"Probably the delay in the tournament is the best thing for us because otherwise most of us would have hopped on the plane after the last day of the Test. So that can be tough for you. Now that it’s concrete, everyone is settled and is pretty happy," captain Daniel Vettori said on Wednesday.

However, "it’s disappointing that the tournament is not in India. I think the guys love going there and touring. But at least there is an assurity in where we are going."

"It’s probably a bit late to be playing cricket in South Africa but still think the pool of those international players should make it just as good a tournament as it was in India," Vettori said.

Vettori felt for the Indian fans, who have been deprived of watching the stars on the ground, though. "That was one of the most exciting bits about the tournament, the fact that you get a chance to play in front of 50,000 or 60,000 people who were tremendously excited about the game.

"We probably won’t have those big crowds but still South African crowds can put a bit of a show. We are a little bit disappointed that it’s not being played in India, but the most important thing is that the games are being played," he said.