Rs 9 crore for ISL, Rs 100 crore for Kerala: How low has Indian football sunk
The ISL has its broadcast deal, but the numbers tell a harsher story. Now, valued below regional leagues and nowhere near cricket, Indian football's top tier has fallen from grace.
The Indian Super League has never been perfect, but for years it survived on belief more than balance sheets.
The idea that even when things were messy, the league was still moving forward. That belief took a hit this season, and the new broadcast deal, rather than calming nerves, has quietly confirmed just how far the Indian Super League has slipped.
To start with, yes, the ISL finally has a broadcaster. After months and months of waiting for the league to start, the tournament is finally set to return on February 14. After waiting for what felt like an eternity, when the clubs were left wondering when the season would even begin, the tournament is ready to roll again.
But the numbers attached to this comeback tell a story that should send shivers down the spine of any football lover in India.
Because once you actually dive deep and check where the tournament is being valued at (broadcasting rights), as a football fan, you will be forced to look away.
The Indian Super League, which is supposed to be the top tier football competition in the country, has been outvalued by even the regional leagues in India.
How has ISL's new broadcast deal changed?
Last season, the ISL’s broadcast agreement for 2024–25 stood at Rs 275 crore for 163 matches, valuing each game at roughly Rs 1.68 crore. It wasn’t blockbuster money, but it suggested the league still carried commercial weight and long-term hope.
That deal, owned by Jiostar, is now history. The new agreement for the 2025–26 season has been picked up by FanCode for Rs 8.62 crore, covering a shortened 91-match season. Per match, that figure drops to around Rs 9.5 lakh.
In straight terms, the AIFF has taken a hit of Rs 266.38 crore. That’s nearly a 97% fall. For a league once sold as the future of Indian football, that number lands like a punch to the gut.
If you are confused as to how we fell from Rs 275 to Rs 8.62 crore, the TL;DR is that the AIFF thought that it was in a powerful position to renegotiate the commercial deals of Indian football. It wasn't.
A new tender for the broadcasting rights was floated, and to absolutely no one's surprise not a single bidder came forward. In a last gasp effort, FanCode arrived as the rescue act, and took away the rights at an unhealthy discount for this season.
How far have ISL's numbers collapsed?
Even the restart format screams damage control.
This isn’t a full marathon season. Instead, the ISL is returning in fast-forward mode, with 91 matches packed into a tight window. Each team will play 13 home-and-away games as the league scrambles toward the finish after the collapse of AIFF’s 15-year commercial rights deal with Football Sports Development Limited.
Sorting the broadcast deal simply means the ISL can exist again. It doesn’t mean it’s healthy.
To really understand the fall, you do not need to go far. Right now, Super League Kerala, a regional football league in India, is out-valuing India’s top-tier competition.
- Super League Kerala broadcast deal: Rs 100 crore
- Deal duration: 5 years
- Matches per season: 91
- Per-match broadcast value: Rs 22 lakh
Now place that next to the ISL’s current deal:
- ISL broadcast deal (2025–26): Rs 8.62 crore
- Matches this season: 91
- Per-match broadcast value: Rs 9.5 lakh
That means a single Super League Kerala match is worth more than double that of an ISL game. Not a rounding error.
That’s not a dig at Kerala's football. It’s a reality check for the ISL.
Rather, Super League Kerala’s rise is good news for Indian football. It shows the sport still has pull, that fans care, and that well-run local leagues can attract serious backing.
But when a state-based competition starts holding a commercial edge over the country’s primary football league, it stops being a success story and starts spelling problems in bold.
Where Does ISL Stand Against IPL?
Any comparison with the Indian Premier League was always going to hurt, but it also explains why Indian football keeps losing space in boardrooms and balance sheets. In 2022, the BCCI sold IPL media rights for a jaw-dropping Rs 48,390 crore (approx) for a five-year-tenure, turning the league into a financial heavyweight that plays by its own rules.
Here’s how that breaks down:
- IPL media rights (2023–27): Rs 48,390 crore
- Matches per season: 74
- Per-match media value: Rs 131 crore
Now bring the ISL into the same frame:
- ISL media deal (2025–26): Rs 8.62 crore
- Matches this season: 91
- Per-match value: Rs 9.5 lakh
And that’s where the comparison stops being funny.
AIFF’s earnings from ISL media rights is more than 5,600 times less than what the BCCI pulls in from the IPL. On a per-match basis, an IPL game is valued over 1,200 times higher than an ISL fixture.
Put another way, one IPL match alone can fund around 15 full ISL seasons at current broadcast rates.
Zoom out a little further into the global aspect and the gap only widens.
The English Premier League’s new domestic TV deal for the 2025–2029 cycle is worth 6.7 billion pounds, or roughly Rs 83,059 crore.
It’s a different universe altogether. But, it shows what happens when leagues protect value, stability and long-term trust, something Indian football has known very little about lately.
Now that all is said and analysed, one thing is true. The ISL is still alive, and that counts for something.
Matches will be played, fans will show up (hopefully), coaches will tinker, and players will give it everything they have. For Indian football right now, even that seems like getting an extra gift on Christmas.
But when one even dares to think about the bigger picture, or maybe the future of Indian football's reach, the new deal is more like another nail in the coffin.
The Indian Super League has never been perfect, but for years it survived on belief more than balance sheets.
The idea that even when things were messy, the league was still moving forward. That belief took a hit this season, and the new broadcast deal, rather than calming nerves, has quietly confirmed just how far the Indian Super League has slipped.
To start with, yes, the ISL finally has a broadcaster. After months and months of waiting for the league to start, the tournament is finally set to return on February 14. After waiting for what felt like an eternity, when the clubs were left wondering when the season would even begin, the tournament is ready to roll again.
But the numbers attached to this comeback tell a story that should send shivers down the spine of any football lover in India.
Because once you actually dive deep and check where the tournament is being valued at (broadcasting rights), as a football fan, you will be forced to look away.
The Indian Super League, which is supposed to be the top tier football competition in the country, has been outvalued by even the regional leagues in India.
How has ISL's new broadcast deal changed?
Last season, the ISL’s broadcast agreement for 2024–25 stood at Rs 275 crore for 163 matches, valuing each game at roughly Rs 1.68 crore. It wasn’t blockbuster money, but it suggested the league still carried commercial weight and long-term hope.
That deal, owned by Jiostar, is now history. The new agreement for the 2025–26 season has been picked up by FanCode for Rs 8.62 crore, covering a shortened 91-match season. Per match, that figure drops to around Rs 9.5 lakh.
In straight terms, the AIFF has taken a hit of Rs 266.38 crore. That’s nearly a 97% fall. For a league once sold as the future of Indian football, that number lands like a punch to the gut.
If you are confused as to how we fell from Rs 275 to Rs 8.62 crore, the TL;DR is that the AIFF thought that it was in a powerful position to renegotiate the commercial deals of Indian football. It wasn't.
A new tender for the broadcasting rights was floated, and to absolutely no one's surprise not a single bidder came forward. In a last gasp effort, FanCode arrived as the rescue act, and took away the rights at an unhealthy discount for this season.
How far have ISL's numbers collapsed?
Even the restart format screams damage control.
This isn’t a full marathon season. Instead, the ISL is returning in fast-forward mode, with 91 matches packed into a tight window. Each team will play 13 home-and-away games as the league scrambles toward the finish after the collapse of AIFF’s 15-year commercial rights deal with Football Sports Development Limited.
Sorting the broadcast deal simply means the ISL can exist again. It doesn’t mean it’s healthy.
To really understand the fall, you do not need to go far. Right now, Super League Kerala, a regional football league in India, is out-valuing India’s top-tier competition.
- Super League Kerala broadcast deal: Rs 100 crore
- Deal duration: 5 years
- Matches per season: 91
- Per-match broadcast value: Rs 22 lakh
Now place that next to the ISL’s current deal:
- ISL broadcast deal (2025–26): Rs 8.62 crore
- Matches this season: 91
- Per-match broadcast value: Rs 9.5 lakh
That means a single Super League Kerala match is worth more than double that of an ISL game. Not a rounding error.
That’s not a dig at Kerala's football. It’s a reality check for the ISL.
Rather, Super League Kerala’s rise is good news for Indian football. It shows the sport still has pull, that fans care, and that well-run local leagues can attract serious backing.
But when a state-based competition starts holding a commercial edge over the country’s primary football league, it stops being a success story and starts spelling problems in bold.
Where Does ISL Stand Against IPL?
Any comparison with the Indian Premier League was always going to hurt, but it also explains why Indian football keeps losing space in boardrooms and balance sheets. In 2022, the BCCI sold IPL media rights for a jaw-dropping Rs 48,390 crore (approx) for a five-year-tenure, turning the league into a financial heavyweight that plays by its own rules.
Here’s how that breaks down:
- IPL media rights (2023–27): Rs 48,390 crore
- Matches per season: 74
- Per-match media value: Rs 131 crore
Now bring the ISL into the same frame:
- ISL media deal (2025–26): Rs 8.62 crore
- Matches this season: 91
- Per-match value: Rs 9.5 lakh
And that’s where the comparison stops being funny.
AIFF’s earnings from ISL media rights is more than 5,600 times less than what the BCCI pulls in from the IPL. On a per-match basis, an IPL game is valued over 1,200 times higher than an ISL fixture.
Put another way, one IPL match alone can fund around 15 full ISL seasons at current broadcast rates.
Zoom out a little further into the global aspect and the gap only widens.
The English Premier League’s new domestic TV deal for the 2025–2029 cycle is worth 6.7 billion pounds, or roughly Rs 83,059 crore.
It’s a different universe altogether. But, it shows what happens when leagues protect value, stability and long-term trust, something Indian football has known very little about lately.
Now that all is said and analysed, one thing is true. The ISL is still alive, and that counts for something.
Matches will be played, fans will show up (hopefully), coaches will tinker, and players will give it everything they have. For Indian football right now, even that seems like getting an extra gift on Christmas.
But when one even dares to think about the bigger picture, or maybe the future of Indian football's reach, the new deal is more like another nail in the coffin.