ISL now has a CEO. Meet the man in Indian football’s biggest new role

The Indian Super League (ISL) has appointed Karan Yadav as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), ushering in a new chapter of running the league under its club model. Karan brings nearly two decades of experience in sports, media, marketing, business strategy and operations. His soccer career began in 2010 when he co-founded TheHardTackle.com, a digital soccer publication, where he served as Editor-in-Chief and led a global team of over 50 writers and 10 editors.

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Since then he has worked in sports rights management, sponsorship, athlete management and business strategy. Karan led the sports and content practice at Wavemaker (WPP), led sports sponsorships and activations at ACKO and most recently served as commercial director at JSW Sports.

At JSW Sports, he oversaw Rs. Over 300 million P&Ls spanning sports franchises, talent management and brand consulting. He also helped shape Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra’s business strategy, managed JSW’s kiting partnership with Team India at the 2024 Paris Olympics and played a key role in launching the Neeraj Chopra Classic in 2025.

“The ISL is entering an important new chapter and I am excited about the opportunity to help shape what comes next. The club-led model gives us a strong basis for working with the clubs and the ISL governing committee with shared ambitions for the League and for Indian football. We will focus on building a strong and efficient League office, strengthening the League’s commercial and broadcast offering, deepening its connection with fans and creating an environment in which the Club can grow stronger, more connected and capable of taking Indian football forward,” said Yadav.

As CEO, Karan will lead the league office and work with ISL clubs and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on the strategic, commercial and organizational direction of the league. His responsibilities will include strengthening relationships with clubs, broadcasters and sponsors while building a cohesive league strategy aimed at sustainable growth.

Karan is the ISL’s first CEO under the new club-led League Office structure. The new season of ISL is start from October 10.

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Published on:

21 Sep 2026 13:52 IST