A back stress fracture means Neesham has been unable to fulfil his commitments for the Kolkata Knight Riders - he played for the Delhi Daredevils last year.
New Zealand franchises also do well out of it financially, with each qualifying team guaranteed an appearance fee of US$200,000 split into seven parts between the country's major associations (two for the invited franchise and one each for the unsuccessful five).
A New Zealand team is yet to make it past the group stage in six editions. Wellington were set to earn the lion's share this year after their triumph in the Georgie Pie Super Smash but their participation is in doubt.
On the flipside, the international calendar is already chock-full of international and franchise-based fixtures and New Zealand's current success means players are not short of offers from T20 leagues.
If the tournament is axed, the revenue models of the IPL franchises will also be affected because a component of sponsorship and player salaries is based on Champions League qualification.
There's also a political element involved. Since the formation of the Big Three (India, Australia and England) to dominate cricket's governance, ties between India and England have thawed. England was originally sought as a member of the Champions League structure but opted out when the BCCI refused to allow the participation of rebel Indian Cricket League players in English franchises.
In the meantime, the goodwill between India and South Africa reduced once the latter was excluded from the Big Three.
