The Indian Premier League (IPL) owners, with money to spend, are set to cash in on the popularity of an England team who have defied terrorist attacks to return to India for a two-match Test series.

“The gesture of going back to play in India will be very appreciated by cricket fans in India,” said Vijay Mallya, the owner of the Bangalore Royal Challengers. “It is a positive statement that everyday life in India can survive terrorist attacks. There will be a lot of people cheering for the England team and showing their appreciation over the next couple of weeks.”

Mallya also hinted that he wants to have England captain Kevin Pietersen in his IPL team. “I have always been interested in English cricketers and nothing has changed on that front. The fact they are happy to return so soon after the terrorist attacks speaks volumes but does not distort my view about how useful they could be in my team,” the business tycoon said.

[“I think this is purely speculative. It’s too early to decide on such things… Moreover we don’t put up such things in public domain… There’s been no such discussion as of now,” a spokesman for the Royal Challengers told The Telegraph.]

Another IPL owner, who did not wish to be named, described Pietersen as being “able to name his own price” following his statement last week of his team’s desire to stand “shoulder to shoulder” with the Indian people.

The IPL has done much to distort the cricketing landscape and it was inevitable that England’s collective decision to return to India would attract a certain level of cynicism. “It is all about money and nothing else,” said Rashid Latif, the former captain of Pakistan. “If India didn’t have the financial clout, no team would bother to go there so soon after the Mumbai attacks. It is nothing but greed.”

But the businessmen who run the IPL will not only be swayed by how many replica shirts an England player could sell. The thorny issue of their availability remains a problem.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) insist their players are only free for a 15-day window, and it was over that issue that talks with IPL commissioner Lalit Modi hit the deadlock.