India, Jan. 30 -- All 14 clubs participating in the shortened 2025-26 Indian Super League (ISL) season have written to the sports ministry on Friday seeking a stop on relegation in the current season and three to five seasons thereafter. The clubs have asked the ministry to convey this to the Supreme Court through the Solicitor-General of India.

The letter comes after Mansukh Mandaviya, the union sports minister, had, after a meeting with ISL club CEOs on January 6, announced February 14 as the starting date of this season's ISL. This term, teams will play each other once to decide the winners.

The sports ministry got involved because the Supreme Court asked it to after the league could not start because it did not have a commercial par...