The Indian Super League (ISL) has appointed Karan Yadav as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), marking a new leadership phase for the league as it operates under a new club-led model.
Karan brings close to two decades of experience across sports, media, marketing, commercial strategy and operations. He began his career in football in 2010 when he co-founded TheHardTackle.com, a digital football publication, where he served as Editor-in-Chief and managed a global team of more than 50 writers and 10 editors.
His career has since included roles across commercial strategy, sales and marketing, sports rights management, athlete management and operations. He has led the sports and content practice at Wavemaker (WPP), headed sports sponsorships and activations at ACKO, and most recently served as Chief Commercial Officer at JSW Sports.
At JSW Sports, Yadav led a ₹300-plus crore P&L across sports franchises, talent management and brand consulting. He also worked on the commercial strategy for Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, managed JSW’s kitting partnership with Team India at the 2024 Paris Olympics and played a role in launching the Neeraj Chopra Classic, India’s first global athletics IP, in 2025.
As CEO, Karan will lead the League Office and oversee the strategic, commercial and organisational direction of the ISL. He will work closely with the league’s clubs and the All India Football Federation (AIFF), while focusing on the league’s overall strategy, commercial direction and relationships with clubs, broadcasters, sponsors and other stakeholders.
The new club-led model is also expected to create greater alignment between the League Office and clubs across areas such as commercial strategy, partnerships, broadcast, fan engagement and the development of the competition.
Commenting on his appointment, Karan Yadav said, “The ISL is entering an important new chapter, and I am excited by the opportunity to help shape what comes next. The club-led model gives us a strong foundation to work with the clubs and the Managing Committee of ISL, with a shared ambition for the League and for Indian football. Our focus will be on building a strong and effective League Office, strengthening the League’s commercial and broadcast proposition, deepening its connection with fans and creating an environment where clubs can grow sustainably. Ultimately, we want to build a League that is stronger, more connected and capable of taking Indian football forward.”
Karan’s appointment also brings his career in football back to the league level. Having started with a football publication before moving into the commercial and operational side of professional sport, he now takes on a leadership role within Indian football.
Karan becomes the first CEO of the ISL under its new club-led League Office structure, taking charge as the league continues to evolve its organisational and commercial framework.
