Indian Super League Appoints Karan Yadav As CEO

Mumbai, September 21, 2026 - The Indian Super League (ISL) has announced Karan Yadav as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), ushering in a fresh leadership era for India’s top football league operating under a club-led model. With an extensive 18-year background in sports, media, marketing, commercial strategy, and operations, Yadav possesses a unique blend of football roots and sports-business acumen.

He launched TheHardTackle.com in 2010, growing it into a globally operated digital football publication with over 50 writers and 10 editors. Across his career, Yadav has been involved in commercial strategy, sales, marketing, sports rights management, athlete management, and operations, having led teams at Wavemaker (WPP), headed sports sponsorships at ACKO, and served as Chief Commercial Officer at JSW Sports.

At JSW Sports, he steered a commercial strategy worth over ₹300 crore for sports franchises, talent management, and brand consulting, including the Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra and Team India’s kit partnership at the 2024 Paris Olympics. As CEO, Yadav will steer the League Office and the strategic, commercial, and organizational direction of the ISL, collaborating closely with clubs and the All-India Football Federation (AIFF).

His responsibilities will encompass developing the League’s overall strategy and commercial direction, enhancing relationships with clubs, broadcasters, sponsors, and other stakeholders, while building a robust League Office that drives the League’s long-term growth and sustainability. This model fosters better alignment between the League Office and clubs in commercial strategy, partnerships, broadcast, fan engagement, and competition development.

Yadav’s mandate will unify these efforts under a shared vision for the League’s growth within the broader Indian football ecosystem. Yadav expresses excitement about shaping the League’s future, emphasizing the club-led model’s potential to strengthen the ISL’s position and contribute to Indian football’s advancement. For Yadav, this role completes his football journey, starting from building a football publication as a passionate fan and writer, progressing through various commercial and operational roles in professional sport, and now returning to the game in a leadership position at the helm of the ISL.

As the league enters a critical phase in its evolution, Yadav’s appointment signifies a significant step forward for the ISL in strengthening its structure and ambitions within Indian football.