Virat Kohli and the players who stand to gain most financially from IPL being played in UAE - in pictures

Indian Premier League will take place in the UAE from September 19 to November 10, subject to final government approval in both countries

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

KL Rahul (Kings XI Punjab) $1.46m - The stylish opener is ranked No 2 in the world for batsmen in T20 international cricket. AFP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sheldon Cottrell (Kings XI Punjab) $1.12m - 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

The IPL will take place in the UAE from September 19 to November 10, subject to final government approval in both countries.

The lucrative Twenty20 league was due to take place in March, but was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The 53-day competition will will be held at Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.

Above is a photo gallery of the players who have most to gain by this year's tournament going ahead, judged by the salaries they are due to earn for playing.

To move on to the next image, simply swipe or click on the arrows.