Virat, Stokes, Dhoni, Cummins and other highest earning IPL stars and what they stand to make in 2020 - in pictures

Millions of dollars in player salary on the line as fate of this year's edition hangs in the balance

IPL 2020 TOP WAGES: =17. Sheldon Cottrell (Kings XI Punjab) $1.12m. The Windies pacer caught the eye at the 50-over World Cup, then gave the franchises a nudge again with wickets against India ahead of the auction. AFP

=17. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Sunrisers Hyderabad) $1.12m. The India seamer has been the pace bowling mainstay for Sunrisers for years now. AFP

=17. Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders) $1.12m. Narine has never played for anyone else in the IPL other than KKR, which shows how highly valued he is in Kolkata. AFP

16. Krunal Pandya (Mumbai Indians) $1.16m. The other half of the set of brothers for the champions, and he is nearly as costly as Hardik. AFP

15. Rashid Khan (Sunrisers Hyderabad) $1.2m. The Afghan was termed the best spinner in the world by Sachin Tendulkar not too long ago. AFP

14 Chris Morris (Royal Challengers Bangalore) $1.3m. His base price at the auction was 15 million rupees. The South African ended up going for 100 million instead. AFP

13. Glenn Maxwell (Kings XI Punjab) $1.43m. Returns to the competition after a year out, and to the franchise he represented when the tournament was played in UAE in 2014. AFP

=8. Manish Pandey (Sunrisers Hyderabad) $1.46m. Probably the least well-known of the IPL’s highest earners, but he has been a consistent performer in the competition down the years. AFP

=8. KL Rahul (Kings XI Punjab) $1.46m. The stylish opener is ranked No2 in the world for batsmen in T20 international cricket. AFP

=8. AB de Villiers (Royal Challengers Bangalore) $1.46m. Seemingly flirting with a return to South Africa’s international side, so it would be interesting to see what would happen if IPL did clash with the T20 World Cup. AFP

=8. Hardik Pandya (Mumbai Indians) $1.46m. Before he had even played IPL cricket, Pandya had Mumbai Indians wallpaper on his phone, as he was such a fanboy. Now he is one of their best paid players. AFP

=8. Suresh Raina (Chennai Super Kings) $1.46m. During lockdown, Raina suggested the Indian board should consider allowing their players to go abroad to try other leagues, too. AFP

=6. David Warner (Sunrisers Hyderabad) $1.6m. It is a coincidence the two Australian IPL stars who were culpable in Sandpapergate in 2018 both command the same fee in the league. AFP

=6. Steve Smith (Rajasthan Royals) $1.6m. Rajasthan Royals started Smith’s reintegration after the ball-tampering controversy of 2018 cost him Australia’s captaincy. It was not long before he got the Royals’ armband back. AFP

5. Ben Stokes (Rajasthan Royals) $1.7m. Displaced by Pat Cummins as the costliest overseas signing in the competition, but he is still not short of a bob or two. AFP

=3. Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians) $2m. He is the multi-title winning captain of the franchise with the highest brand value in the competition, so it stands to reason he would be well remunerated. AFP

=3. MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings) $2m. The India and CSK great is showing his age, according to some. Tell that to his bank manager. AFP

2. Pat Cummins (Kolkata Knight Riders) $2.1m. Australian newspapers have pointed out that Cummins has three million reasons to want the IPL to go ahead – which is the amount in Aussie dollars he is set to earn. AFP

1. Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore) $2.3million (Dh8.4m). Cricket’s most bankable player is the top earner in the league, with wages of 170 million rupees for the season. AFP

The fate of the 2020 Indian Premier League is likely to become clearer this week when the ICC meet to discuss rescheduling cricket’s biggest competitions.

Despite the fact the coronavirus situation has improved in Australia, it remains unclear whether it would be feasible to host a global competition involving 16 teams there in October and November.

According to reports, Cricket Australia have already suggested it be postponed to next year.

That could free up a window for the IPL to take place – although that, too, would face similar problems, with international players jetting in to wherever the tournament would take place.

The Emirates Cricket Board intimated during lockdown that it would be keen to assist, if the IPL’s organisers needed it.

One thing is for sure, there are a number of players in India and beyond who will be keen for the tournament to go ahead.

Above is a gallery of the players who have most to gain by cricket finding a space to accommodate the IPL this year, judged by the salaries they are due to earn for playing.

To view the next image, click on the arrows or simply swipe. Players placed in descending order.