Star footballers in the Indian Super League (ISL) may have to accept pay cuts of up to 25% for the upcoming season, according to The Indian Express report.
Indian football is slowly moving out of a deadlock. The top division league, which was supposed to start in September last year, was suspended and is now likely to begin in February 2026. Domestic football in India came to a halt after the 15-year commercial rights agreement between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) ended last year. Since then, AIFF has not been able to secure a new commercial partner for the league.
After ongoing discussions, plans to revive the ISL are back on track, with the domestic season scheduled to resume on February 14. However, since the league will operate without a commercial partner, expenses will need to be tightly controlled. As a result, player salaries are expected to be one of the biggest areas affected by these cost-cutting measures.
Issues with ISL clubs
With no commercial partner for the upcoming season, clubs will have to spend from their own pockets, so players have reportedly been asked to take pay cuts.
According to a report, at least three clubs have told players earning more than ₹1 crore per season to accept a pay cut of 20–25%. Players earning less than ₹1 crore may also face a reduction of 10–15% in their salaries. The report says that at least six clubs were willing to give up the current season so they could start fresh next season and better manage their finances by reducing player salaries. However, not all clubs agreed with this plan.
The report also states that all stakeholders agreed to resume the league only after Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya intervened. As a result, stakeholders, including the government, decided that players would be asked to accept pay cuts voluntarily, since imposing them without consent could lead to a complaint being filed with FIFA
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