The Indian Premier League, just like every other tournament has taken a hit after the global out-break of the Coronavirus, also called as COVID-19. The league has been postponed from its original start date of the 29^th March and is now scheduled to begin on the 15^th of April, if everything goes well and according to plans. Everyone from the franchise owners to the broadcasters has taken a hit due to this.

And, if the league gets cancelled, even the players would incur significant financial losses. IPL players have been known to attract huge bids from franchise owners every year, with some of them even earning in excess of INR 15 crores. Now, if the tournament gets cancelled, many players will lose out on big sums of money, which they would have received if the matches were played.

So, here’s a look at the names of five such players, who are at the risk of losing out on their big tournament fees, if IPL gets cancelled:

1. Ben Stokes

The prolific all-rounder from England, Ben Stokes has over the years seen a hike in his paycheck. In the 2018 season of the IPL, he was bought by the Rajasthan Royals, for Rs. 12.5 crore and they have not released him since, meaning that the amount stands as his season fees. He may not have done complete justice to his paycheck, but this season seemed that he would give his owners, the worth of every single penny they invested in him.

Coming into IPL 2020, he must be in blazing hot form. Having on England the World Cup and Ashes series, he must be riding on the highest waves of confidence and would have been looking forward to showing the Indian crowds too, what he is capable of doing on the field, both with the bat and the ball in hand. But, this season of the tournament is on the verge of being called off, as the world suffers from the outbreak of COVID-19.

And, if that happens, his finances would take a big hit, as he will not be receiving his signing amount of INR 12.5 crores. It might not be the highest of all, but he will want the BCCI to conduct the tournament this season, as it will also provide him with some good match practice before going into the World T20 that is scheduled to start in October later this year.

2. Rohit Sharma

The most successful captain of the Indian Premier League so far, Rohit Sharma’s contributions to the Mumbai Indians for all these years, have been un-parallelled. The local boy has led the team to four tournament wins and has seen some the best days of his IPL career, while with the franchise. And, he has been rewarded too by his owners for his achievements while playing for them. In the 2018 season, he was retained for the second-highest amount that year, which was INR 15 crores.

Sharma, during his stay in the Mumbai Indians dressing room, has also seen his share of downtimes too, but he has made sure that the team gets through those times with ease and grace. He was appointed the captain of the side in 2013 when the Australian veteran Ricky Ponting left the role and since then there has been no looking back for the 32-year-old.

He has managed the talent pool with great ease and under the guidance of another Mumbai legend, Sachin Tendulkar has taken the team to new heights. This season of the IPL though is under the threat of cancellation, and if this happens, Rohit will be losing out on his tournament fee of Rs. 15 crores and he would not want that to happen at all.

3. Pat Cummins

The 26-yar-old Australian pacer, Pat Cummins was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Auction of IPL 2020 for a record-breaking amount of INR 15.5 crores, making him the most expensive foreign player in the tournament till date. The reason behind this has been his consistently great performances with the ball for the Australian team in the past year or so.

His career started on a high, but after a couple of initial hiccups due to injuries, but now, he has hammered out all such kinks in his armour and has come out be a lead bowler in the Aussie attack, which includes players like Mitchell Starc in it. He also has the capabilities to wield the bat down the order and get his team a couple of runs when required, adding more value to his worth.

But his paycheck might not get delivered to him this season for a couple of reasons. The first one is very obvious that the IPL is on the verge of getting called off due to the virus outbreak. And, the second one being the level four travel ban imposed by the Australian government, which until repealed would mean that even if the tournament is played, Cummins will not be able to travel to India to participate in it, thus losing out on his fees.

4. Virat Kohli

Captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Virat Kohli is one of the highest-earning players in the league and each time around, he has made sure to justify his paycheck by leading the team with example and himself getting the team through to victories single-handedly on many occasions. He is one of the only players to have played for a single franchise, all through the years of the Indian Premier League.

He has played 177 matches for the franchise since the start of the tournament in 2008 and has been doing well with the bat, whenever the team requires him to. Virat has 5412 runs to his name, at an average of 37.85, strike-rate of 131.61 including 36 half-centuries and 5 centuries. In the 2016 edition, he scored 973 runs, which is the highest by any batsman in a single season so far. Four of his total of five centuries came in that season too.

But, this time around, things are not looking good for Kohli in terms of financial gains. This season of the tournament is stuck in the midst of the global COVID-19 outbreak. And, if it does not take place, Kohli will not be getting his fees of Rs. 17 crore, which is not a small sum by any means.

5. MS Dhoni

The name synonymous to that of the Chennai Super Kings, MS Dhoni has been a boon to the Chennai based franchise and no sum of money paid to him can actually justify his contribution to the team, all through the years. The captain of the team since the first season of the tournament, he has led the team to the playoffs every single year and has brought the trophy home, thrice, which falls only behind the Mumbai Indians, who have done it four times.

This season of the Indian Premier League was going to be crucial for Dhoni on a personal level too. As per the opinions of the top brass of the BCCI, his performance in this season of the tournament would have played a key role in deciding whether or not he will be part of the Indian team’s dressing room in the coming days or not. But, if the tournament gets cancelled, his chances of getting back into the blue jersey will reduce a lot.

Not only this, but MS will also be losing out on the financial front too. The Chennai Super Kings pay MS a sum of Rs. 15 crores to play for them. And, if the season gets cancelled, he will not be getting the amount from the franchise.