IPL 2021: Will players be paid full salaries this year?

IPL 2021 was halted abruptly on May 4, with the BCCI announcing the decision to postpone the league indefinitely. The call was taken after as many as four teams reported cases of COVID-19 in the past few days.

With the league postponed, efforts are now underway to send overseas players back to their home countries safely.

While talks are underway to find a possible window to host the remaining games of IPL 2021, another question has emerged once it was confirmed that the competition will not go ahead right now.

What happens to the player’s salaries now that IPL 2021 is stopped mid-way?

UPDATE: The Indian Premier League Governing Council (IPL GC) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in an emergency meeting has unanimously decided to postpone IPL 2021 season with immediate effect.Details - https://t.co/OgYXPj9FQy pic.twitter.com/lYmjBId8gL

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 4, 2021

As reported by Sportsmail, players part of IPL 2021 may have to wait months before their contractual dues are cleared. According to a standard IPL contract accessed by the publication, IPL franchises pay player salaries in three equal installments.

Out of the three, the last two installments comprising IPL player salaries are reserved for the end of the tournament and the end of the calendar year in which the tournament takes place.

Since both conditions are yet to be fulfilled, it essentially means players part of the IPL have only been paid 1/3rd of their due salary so far.

IPL players receive salaries despite injury-enforced absences

Another aspect to consider when looking at IPL salaries is injury-enforced absences. A few months ago, it came to light how Shreyas Iyer will receive his entire salary of INR 7 crore despite missing the full season due to injury.

This was due to a Player Insurance policy introduced by the BCCI in 2011, which ensures centrally contracted players are eligible for compensation if they miss the IPL due to an injury or accident.

While this amount is adjusted depending on the IPL contract amount and the number of games a player misses, Shreyas Iyer was eligible for full compensation since he was injured on national duty.

The Daily Mail reported on similar lines, revealing that Ben Stokes will receive his full IPL salary of INR 12.5 crore despite playing just one game this season.

The England all-rounder had to fly back after fracturing his finger in his first IPL 2021 game. Ben Stokes and all other players will be paid due to insurance policies taken out by IPL franchises to cover them in the event of injury.