Highlights
- The Indian Super Gaming League (ISGL), launched by LetsGameNow, introduces a formalized competitive gaming ecosystem.
- ISGL features founding teams from eight cities, including Mumbai City FC, FC Goa, and Kerala Blasters FC.
- With nationwide qualifiers and finals in Vizag, ISGL aims to create sustainable governance and global pathways for Indian esports talents.
India’s esports sector marked a shift on March 2 with the launch of the Indian Super Gaming League (ISGL). The league, featuring city-backed teams competing across five game titles, is positioned as the country’s first franchise-based national esports competition.
ISGL, an initiative by LetsGameNow, will focus on establishing franchise-led structured competitive formats in the country’s competitive gaming landscape. The organization will reportedly create a global recognition roadmap for Indian esports talents through professional governance and commercial viability.
The launch event in Mumbai brought together prominent names across sport, entertainment, and government, including ISGL founders Santanu Basu and Gautam Badalia, and Andhra Pradesh Sports Minister Sri Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy. Both ISGL founders framed the initiative as an attempt to formalize and stabilize India’s fragmented esports ecosystem.
“For Indian players to compete globally, the domestic ecosystem must meet global standards,” stated Basu, while emphasizing that the vision behind ISGL is to create a sustainable professional ecosystem within the country that harbors esports talents. Basu is the co-founder of LetsGameNow and a professional esports player.
ISGL’s Structured Franchise-led Format
As mentioned, ISGL will operate with city-based teams competing across multiple esports titles. As per the official website, ISGL 2026 will feature Chess, Cricket 26, Call of Duty Mobile (CODM), FAU-G, and FC 26. The line-up is a mix of mobile-first and PC titles, that aligns with the Indian gaming community, which is driven by mobile gaming.
During the inauguration, eight city-backed team members were recognized in a founding line-up for the first edition of ISGL.The league has attracted participation from established sports brands, including football clubs such as Mumbai City FC, FC Goa, Chennaiyin FC, Inter Kashi, and Kerala Blasters FC, alongside franchise teams like Bangalore Bhargavas, Andhra Agneyas, and Puneri Paltan.
Ahead of the league, ISGL will stage a nationwide qualifier to identify and elevate emerging esports talent across India’s gaming community. The qualifier will be city-based, and the league finals are slated for Vizag. This crossover reflects a deeper institutional endorsement of esports within India’s professional sport ecosystem.
According to Badalia, “India has scale, talent, and passion for gaming;” it only requires a structure that facilitates the sector’s growth with the same seriousness as traditional sports disciplines. Industry projections indicate that India’s esports sector has crossed $200 million USD (~$240M) in size and is growing rapidly. Indian esports teams are gradually getting visibility on global stages, such as PMGC.
As Badalia stated, to accelerate and sustain this momentum, India requires franchise-based models, a standard in traditional sports such as the Indian Premier League (IPL) in cricket. However, with ISGL, the country is stepping towards formalizing esports and consolidating the country’s esports talents.
