Image Credit: Bengaluru FC NEW DELHI: Bengaluru FC players, including India legend Sunil Chhetri, have agreed to take a pay cut for the shortened season of the Indian Super League (ISL) starting February 14, with club owner Parth Jindal thanking the team for making a “sacrifice” in the best interest of both the franchise and the sport.Jindal said the management had open and honest discussions with the first-team players to “navigate the situation the sport is in” as the delayed ISL prepares to restart after being suspended for more than four months.
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Highlighting the challenges facing Indian football, Jindal turned to X to explain the club’s position.“Everyone is well aware of the difficult phase Indian football is going through. For me, as the owner of the BFC team and someone who is deeply passionate about the sport and the club, it has been one of the toughest times ever,” Jindal wrote on ‘X’.“I am grateful to all the first team players who have agreed to take a pay cut at this stage.“Without a doubt it was one of the most difficult decisions we have had to make as a club and I really appreciate the players making this sacrifice in the best interests of the club and the sport.”Jindal has previously urged players across clubs to “sacrifice” citing the “financial burden” franchises will face in participating in the postponed league, even warning that without player support his club may have to “close shop for good”. While he did not detail the nature of the casualty at the time, he hinted at a pay cut for the season.The Bengaluru FC squad includes former India captain Sunil Chhetri and star goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. The club also appointed former India international Renedy Singh as the head coach of the first team for the upcoming campaign.Last month, FC Goa players, including India captain Sandesh Jhingan, along with support staff also accepted a pay cut for the shortened season, with the club calling it a “selfless” move and saying it was “deeply humbled by this gesture and extremely grateful for the unity, character and determination shown by the group”. Indian players Udanta Singh and Boris Singh are also in FC Goa’s roster.The 2025–26 ISL season was thrown into limbo after former organizer FSDL terminated the Master Rights Agreement with AIFF on 8 December. Although the tender process for a new commercial partner did not attract any interested parties, the intervention of the Minister of Sports and negotiations ensured that all 14 clubs confirmed their participation. The shortened 91-game season will be played home and away, with each team competing in 13 games.The AIFF has since issued a request for proposal for broadcast rights, with bids to be opened on February 2. Clubs will bear 60 per cent of the financial cost of the league, estimated at Rs 25 crore. The fixtures are expected to be announced soon.
