ISL 2025-26 season: A rescue mission or a reckoning for Indian football?

from In Focus by The Hindu · host The Hindu

After months of administrative paralysis, the Indian Super League 2025-26 season finally kicks off in February 2026, but this is no ordinary season.With the collapse of the AIFF's commercial partnership, slashed budgets, mass pay cuts and a condensed four-month format, Indian football finds itself at a crossroads.What does this truncated version of the tournament mean for players and clubs? Are fewer foreigners this season good or bad for the league? And how deep has the crisis cut into the Indian football pyramid?Football veteran Pradhyum Reddy previews the season ahead and also unpacks the sorry state of affairs of Indian football’s top-flight league and how the crisis has impacted the football ecosystem. Guest: Pradhyum Reddy, coach and commentator Host: Reuben Joe Joseph Edted by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices