Bengaluru FC players, including Indian legend Sunil Chhetri, have accepted a pay cut for the truncated Indian Super League (ISL) season starting February 14, club owner Parth Jindal said, while appreciating the footballers for making the ‘sacrifice’ in the best interest of the franchise and the sport.
Jindal said the club’s management has had open, honest conversations with all first-team players about «navigating the situation the sport finds itself in.» The postponed ISL, which has been halted for more than four months, will resume in a shortened version on February 14.
«Everyone is well aware of the challenging phase that Indian football is going through. For me, as a BFC team owner and someone who has a deep passion for the sport and the club, this has been one of the toughest times ever,» Jindal wrote. X.
«I am grateful to all the first-team players who have agreed to reduce their pay at this stage. This was without doubt one of the most difficult decisions we have had to make as a club, and I greatly appreciate that the players have made this sacrifice in the best interests of the club and the sport,» he added.
Jindal was one of the first ISL club officials to highlight the need for voluntary pay cuts by the players when he last month called on the players to “make sacrifices” in view of the “financial burden” the club will bear to participate in the postponed ISL.
READ ALSO | Indian Super League attracts ABP, FanCode and Jio among bidders for media rights
He had said that without the support of the players, his franchise might have to “close for good.”
At the time, Jindal did not specifically explain what kind of ‘sacrifice’ the footballers would have to make, but had hinted at a lower salary for this season.
The club’s roster includes former Indian captain Sunil Chhetri and star goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru FC has announced the appointment of former India international Renedy Singh as the team’s senior head coach for the upcoming ISL season.
Last month, FC Goa players, including Indian captain Sandesh Jhingan, and support staff accepted pay cuts for the ISL season, with the club calling their decision a ‘selfless’ act.
The AIFF Super Cup champion team had said it was “deeply humbled by this gesture and extremely grateful for the unity, character and dedication shown by the group.” FC Goa has some other national team players like Udanta Singh and Boris Singh in the squad.
All 14 clubs have confirmed their participation in the shortened ISL, which will see 91 matches played on a home and away basis. Each club plays 13 matches.
Published on February 2, 2026
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(703x272:705x274)/The-Occidental-Book-of-the-Dead-by-T-Geronimo-Johnson-013026-1-eec94169c433424a8b653dda40a27de7.jpg?w=238&resize=238,178&ssl=1 "Vea la portada de “El libro occidental de los muertos” de T. Geronimo Johnson (exclusivo)")
