Since the establishment of ISL, Indian football has taken huge but necessary steps in establishing India as a football powerhouse in Asia. The signing of marquee players and well established coaches has aided India’s premier football competition in building up the brand name. The league managed by Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) has roped in big wigs like Hero and Star Sports as sponsors/partners.
We take a look at the 11 clubs competing in the ISL based on their market value:
1. Odisha FC (INR 433.26m)
Nicknamed “The Kalinga Warriors”, Odisha FC franchise was rechristened from the former one Delhi Dynamos. Under the ownership of global shipping giant GMS, Odisha FC is ranked as the most valuable club in ISL. However, Odisha FC’s performance on the pitch was in stark contrast to their financial performance as the finished bottom of the league in ISL season 2020-21.
2. ATK Mohun Bagan FC (INR 404.10m)
ATK Mohun Bagan FC, formerly known as Atletico de Kolkata before their merger with Mohun Bagan, are the second-most valuable football club in the ISL. The club is owned by a consortium known as ATK Mohun Bagan Private Limited. RPSG Group founder Sanjiv Goenka is the principal owner of the organization while former Indian cricketer Sourav Ganguly and businessman Utsav Parekh are co-owners of the franchise. There have been major hurdles in the merger but that hasn’t affected their performance on the pitch as they finished as runners up in ISL 2020-21.
3. Bengaluru FC (INR 404.10m)
Bengaluru FC has become one of the most successful ISL clubs under the ownership of JSW group and sound leadership of Parth Jindal. Boasting quality Indian players like Sunil Chhetri and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Bengaluru FC has a sound business model to go with their talented pool of players. Bengaluru also has a long standing partnership with Puma as their kit sponsor. However, the West Block Blues had a disappointing 7th place finish in the league.
4. Mumbai City FC (INR 402.02m)
The takeover by the City Football Group - holding company that also has Premier League club Manchester City, New York City Fc and Melbourne City under its ambit -- was bound to take Mumbai City FC’s value to the top among the ISL teams in 2021. The reigning champions of the ISL boasts a strong contingent of Indian players and top notch foreign players in their squad. With the professionalism standards of City Football Group coming into the fore, Mumbai City has added high end sponsors like Etihad airways and CISCO.
5. Kerala Blasters FC (INR 402.02m)
India’s very own Yellow Army had a dismal performance in 2020-21 ISL season, finishing in 8th place. Currently owned by Magnum Sports Pvt Ltd, Kerala Blasters has had various changes in ownership with Sachin Tendulkar and South actor Chiranjeevi as previous owners of the club.
6. Jamshedpur FC (INR 341.61m)
Jamshedpur FC was established in 2017 when Tata Steel won the bidding rights for the franchise. After a disappointing start to the season, Jamshedpur FC managed to finish in a respectable 6th position in ISL. Backed by deep pockets of Tata Group, Jamshedpur FC has been a breeding ground for young Indian talent in recent seasons. Jamshedpur FC has a long standing partnership with Nivia, as their kit sponsor.
7. SC East Bengal (INR 327.03m)
One of the oldest football clubs in India, SC East Bengal gained entry in the ISL in 2020. Shree Cement, the majority owner of the club has a difficult time with the management team and has endured numerous controversies. The dispute has seen fans and club at loggerheads with each other and a lowly 9th place finish was of no help to the cause.
8. Hyderabad FC (INR 327.03m)
Formed after the dissolution of Pune City, Hyderabad FC is currently co-owned by Vijay Madduri, Varun Tripuraneni, and South actor Rana Daggubati. In 2020 Hyderabad FC struck a partnership deal with Borussia Dortmund with respect to grassroots development. Under the tutelage of coach Manuel Marquez Roca, the club missed out the play off places by a single place. With sponsors like T10 sports, Polyhose, only way is up for Hyderabad FC.
9. Chennaiyin FC (INR 320.78m)
Two time champions Chennaiyin FC had a disastrous ISL in 2020-21 with the club finishing in 8th position. With big name owners like Abhishek Bachchan and MS Dhoni, Chennaiyin FC has had a major pull in terms of partnerships and sponsors. They include big name companies like Apollo tyres and Acko insurance. What remains to be seen is if Chennaiyin FC can turnaround their fortunes in the coming season of ISL.
10. FC Goa (INR 299.95m)
FC Goa, co-owned by Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli, Jaydev Mody and Akshay Tandon had a satisfactory performance in Hero ISL season 2020-21 with the team finishing the play-off spots. Under the stewardship of Akshay Tandon, FC Goa has launched a youth development program with the FC Goa foundation. The financial implications of the pandemic has affected the Goan club in a negative way but their onfield performances were up to the mark!
11. North East United FC (INR 297.87m)
North East United FC finished in 3rd place in ISL and punched well above their weight throughout the season. Coach Khalid Jamil has proved the doubters wrong in a league where Indian coaches do not get a chance to show their worth. The club co-owned by Bollywood actor John Abraham has the lowest market value among the 11 ISL clubs but their recruitment has been second to none, with the club tapping into the hotbed of Indian football talent of North East.
Source: Transfer Market indicating the market value of clubs.
