The Indian Super League has one of the most stringent salary caps among football league competitions but that has had no impact on the ISL players salary , which have been increasing exponentially every season.
Indian Super League has become a very popular professional football league in Asia as leading footballers from all over the world have been a part of this top tier league in India. Indian football had been stagnant before the ISL came but since its inception, we have seen a number of exciting and talented players emerging from the competition.
The ISL has competed with the Indian Premier League in terms of quality and its stature but when it comes to wages IPL still stands superior these days. As far as the ISL players salary are concerned, Indian captain Sunil Chhetri is one of the highest paid Indian players in this tournament and also happens to be the skipper of Bengaluru FC.
Welcome 2023 with a new fest – the Zero Se Hero Gold Fest from 31 December 2022 to 29th January 2023, hosted by Rummy Bo – India’s Biggest Gaming Platform. Celebrate the New Year by playing your favourite games such as Ludo, Snakes & Ladders, Rummy, Poker, call break, Opinio, and Fantasy, for “ZERO PAISE”, and “WIN GOLD”, along with other prizes worth lakhs. Play lobbies and tournaments daily for free and win gold every day. Losing is not on the cards this fest – if you lose a game, you can get the amount refunded and continue playing.
ISL players salary: top five highest paid players
| Club | Player | Salary |
| Alessandro Del Piero | Delhi Dynamos | 10.8 crs |
| Robbie Keane | ATK | 6.6-9 crs |
| Dimitar Berbatov | Kerala Blasters FC | 7.5 crs |
| Diego Forlan | Mumbai City FC | 6.6 crs |
| Nicolas Anelka | Mumbai City FC | 5.4 crs |
Alessandro Del Piero (Delhi Dynamos)
Alessandro Del Piero remains the most high profile footballer ever to grace the Indian football scene. The Italian was acquired by then Delhi Dynamos in the inaugural season in 2014 as he was their marquee player.
The stance was to attract a larger audience for the ISL side and it did happen. But the former Italian international had lost his touch and he looked like a pale shadow of his form. He was paid a whopping 10.8 crores for a season and also brought his personal photographer and gym instructor to India.
He is the current highest paid player in the history of the Indian Super League.
Robbie Keane (ATK)
Robbie Keane is the second highest paid player in the history of the Indian Super League so far. Keane got in between 6.6 to 9 crores for his participation in the top tier league for then ATK. Keane got reunited with his former teammate Teddy Sheringham as the latter was the coach of the ISL side at that time.
The former Tottenham Hotspur forward lit up the ISL with his fancy moves and netted 8 goals in 11 appearances in all competitions.
Dimitar Berbatov ( Kerala Blasters FC)
Kerala Blasters managed to stage a coup as they signed former Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur striker Dimitar Berbatov on a one year contract. He hadn’t been playing a lot before joining the Indian Super League side and his struggle was pretty evident as he barely looked comfortable with the ball.
In eight games he just had one goal and he got frustrated with coach David James’ strategy to feed long balls to strikers. Berbatov got a staggering 7.5 crores for his one season contract and the forward had definitely enjoyed his stint in India.
Kerala Blasters are a very popular team and their fanbase is all over the world.
Diego Forlan (Mumbai City FC)
Mumbai City FC showed some real intent when they grabbed the signing of Diego Forlan. The former Manchester United forward did play a part as Mumbai City booked a place in the playoffs.
Forlan scored five goals and assisted three which also included a brilliant hattrick against Kerala Blasters. The former Uruguay international bagged a whopping 6.6 crores for his ISL stint and Mumbai finished the 2016 season at the top of the table.
As Berbatov was a marquee player his wages didn’t come under the mandatory salary cap regulations.
Nicolas Anelka (Mumbai City FC)
Mumbai City pulled off a brilliant signing as they acquired the service of former Arsenal and Chelsea forward Nicolas Anelka. He was the club’s marquee signing for the inaugural season and got paid 5.4 crores.
He appeared just seven times in his first season and then became the club’s player cum manager in the following season but couldn’t manage to influence the game much and it was his last professional stint as he announced his retirement soon after that.
Anelka was paid in the range of 4 crores for his second season with the club.
FAQs
Who is the highest paid player in the Indian Super League?
Alessandro Del Piero remains the current highest paid player with a pay package of 10.8 crores
How much do the I League players get in salaries?
I League players get much lesser wages than the players playing in the Indian Super League.
