The much-delayed ISL 2025-26 season is scheduled to start on February 14, following an agreement reached by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) with 13 of the 14 Indian Super League clubs. Recently, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya revealed that the season was delayed due to a lack of a commercial partner, and claimed that all 14 clubs would participate in the delayed season. However, according to reports, Odisha FC has not confirmed their participation yet.
Earlier, the clubs reportedly requested that the AIFF waive the ₹1 crore participation fee. Clubs have been facing financial issues due to the delay, and have also released or loaned out some foreign players. The AIFF has reportedly convinced the clubs to pay the participation fee in instalments until June 2026, rather than immediately.
‘Move to a draft or an auction’
Recently, in a conversation with The Indian Express, Bengaluru FC owner Parth Jindal urged ISL to follow the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) auction or player draft format. “We hope somebody picks it up (broadcast and commercial rights). However, the key for it to work is that it must move to a draft or an auction. The league cannot continue in this free-market way”, he said.
“In a league with a centrally allocated budget, you can’t play around. Every successful Indian league—the IPL, WPL, kabaddi, hockey, badminton, table tennis, wrestling, volleyball—runs on an auction. None is a free market except the ISL, and even it began with a draft. That should be the model: an auction or draft for Indian players. Clubs could pre-sign five U-23 domestic players from their academies, with full retentions reducing their draft purse or position, as in the IPL or Pro Kabaddi. Foreign players could be signed outside the auction but within a salary cap, with one or two marquee signings allowed beyond it. In year one, clubs could also retain three senior Indian players at a pre-determined cost deducted from their purse.”
However, Jindal also believes that there should be no relegation in the ISL, a point that has become a bone of contention in recent years. “For all this to work, there can be no relegation. However, teams winning the lower leagues can come into the ISL by paying a participation fee. I am proposing a Major League Soccer (MLS) model for India. The MLS is a closed league with franchise-based membership, similar to the IPL or NBA. Teams do not move up or down based on performance; clubs buy into the league by paying an expansion fee, which has risen from $10 million in early years to more than $500 million recently. What happens if a team finishes last? No relegation, poor-performing teams are rewarded with higher draft picks, more allocation money. The idea is to promote competitive balance, not punishment,” he added.
The AIFF is also reportedly expected to have a commercial partner for the 2025-26 ISL season by January 31.
