Tim May, the chief executive of the federation of International Cricketers Associations has begun investigating how many players have not received their initial Indian Premier League fees.

The former Australian cricketer has warned if the problem is widespread they could walk away from their contracts. May has begun investigations on the reports that Australians had not been given a payment following the first IPL auction in February. The Twenty20 tournament is due to begin on Friday.

May said, "There is a worry that some players have not been paid nor received their signed copies of contracts; we need to get a good feel on how widespread it is. If it has just alienated a couple of players I'm sure the thing can be worked out reasonably sensibly."

David Hussey, who sold for US$625,000 in February, is one of the Australians who hasn’t received the 15% payment for their auction price, which was reportedly due on April 1.

Hussey's manager Rick Olarenshaw said, "It's been an absolute nightmare in terms of the paperwork required to get the players there. I don't think it's anything sinister. We're expecting to have all the paperwork done and Huss will be ready to play."