5 ISL footballers you won't believe are worth more than IPL stars

Two of the most popular franchise leagues in the Indian sporting scene, IPL and ISL, have seen some of the biggest flows of money in Indian sports over the years. The Indian Premier League (IPL) started off in 2008 in the aftermath of India's World Twenty20 win in 2007, while the Indian Super League (ISL) kicked off in 2014 as a footballing counterpart of the IPL.

Big money has changed hands over the course of the two league's history, but there isn't much of a difference between the ISL and the IPL as far as splashing the cash is concerned. The ISL has brought in global superstars to the Indian game, although as spent forces, while the IPL continues to attract the best cricketers on this planet to India on a regular basis.

While the chasm of worldwide reputation between the IPL and the ISL remains, both league's lucrativeness has never been compromised. The ISL has grown over its three-year history and its clubs have offered salaries to players almost on a par with IPL franchises. Let us take a look at 5 ISL players who have commanded more money in wages than IPL superstars did in the 2017 edition.

#1 Alessandro Del Piero - $1.69 million - more than AB De Villiers, Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina

Raina earned $1.58 million in IPL 2017, while Gambhir pocketed $1.66 million and De Villiers earned $1.58 million in wages. In contrast, Alessandro Del Piero arrived for big money in ISL 2014, signed for a figure close to $1.69 million by Delhi Dynamos for three months of football action. That Del Piero managed that feat in 2014 and betters the inflated 2017 salaries of Indian cricket team stars like Gambhir and Raina as well as the South African legend was a pointer by the ISL that it had arrived big time.