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ISL 2026-27: 'Club-led model will make a huge difference for players and fans,' says Hnamte
In Short
The Indian Super League (ISL) enters the 2026-27 season under a new commercial structure after the AIFF and the league’s clubs agreed in July to transfer the commercial rights to the clubs, while the federation retained administrative and regulatory oversight. The new arrangement is aimed at giving clubs greater responsibility for the league’s commercial and financial growth.
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Sporting Club Delhi midfielder Lalrinliana Hnamte
New Delhi: Sporting Club Delhi midfielder Lalrinliana Hnamte believes the Indian Super League’s new club-led commercial model can bring greater investment and interest to the competition, saying the change could make a 'huge difference' for both players and fans.
The Indian Super League (ISL) enters the 2026-27 season under a new commercial structure after the AIFF and the league’s clubs agreed in July to transfer the commercial rights to the clubs, while the federation retained administrative and regulatory oversight. The new arrangement is aimed at giving clubs greater responsibility for the league’s commercial and financial growth.
Asked how the change could benefit the competition and players, Hnamte said clubs having greater commercial control could encourage them to invest more in their teams and take greater ownership of the league. “I don’t think much, but it will make more interest because the club will be willing to pay more and willing to take care of the club more. So as a fan and for the player, it will be a huge difference, a huge change,” Hnamte replied to an IANS query during a media interaction.
The 2026-27 season will also return to a full home-and-away format, with the playoffs back as part of the competition.
Hnamte, who has joined SC Delhi ahead of the new season after representing clubs like Chennai FC, said he is entering the campaign in the best possible shape and has set his sights firmly on winning the league.
“This season is one of the best; mentally and physically I’m ready. We are not here to compete; we are trying to win the league, so we are ready for that,” he said.
The midfielder also highlighted the hunger within SC Delhi’s young squad, saying the team’s ambition goes beyond simply making up the numbers. “And the group, we are very young, but we are hungry for the trophy. And I think it will be very great for us, and I think we’ll have a great season,” Hnamte added.
Meanwhile, SC Delhi head coach Tomasz Tchorz said the club has not had to deal with the additional workload associated with players returning from recent international fixtures, as none of his players were involved with the national team during the current period.
However, several Indian players from other ISL clubs have recently featured in international friendlies against strong opposition, including Brazil, raising questions over workload management ahead of the league season.
“In our case, there is not a problem because, unfortunately for our club and team, we didn’t have any player playing for the national team this winter,” Tchorz said. “Obviously, other teams have to manage the load because some of the players played a few games in a short period of time against very demanding opponents,” he added.
The SC Delhi coach, however, acknowledged the value of such international exposure for the players involved. “For those who played in these games, obviously, it’s a valuable experience, and they will have a lot of takeaways from these games. However, for us, it doesn’t really matter because we are still working on delivering players to the national team,” Tchorz said.
SC Delhi had a poor campaign last season, where they finished in 12th position with just two wins to their name. They will face Bengaluru FC in their first match of the 2026-27 season.
