Sporting Club Delhi launched, replaces Hyderabad FC as capital's top team

The national capital will have a new top-flight club of the country as Sporting Club Delhi was launched on Saturday after the rebranding of Indian Super League side Hyderabad FC.

Last year, Jindal Football Private Limited, a part of BC Jindal Group, acquired Hyderabad FC from the earlier owners, and decided to shift base to Delhi from 2025-26 season.

This marks the return of an ISL club in the national capital after the Delhi Dynamos, which featured in the inaugural edition of the top-tier league in 2014, shifted base to Bhubaneswar in 2019 and rechristened Odisha FC.

Sporting Club Delhi will take the place of Hyderabad FC in the Super Cup in Goa beginning October 25. The fixtures have already been announced and the All India Football Federation is expected to replace Hyderabad FC by the new name of Sporting Club Delhi. 

The unveiling of Sporting Club Delhi marks the beginning of a new chapter for football in the Delhi NCR region and India. The club will represent inclusivity, ambition, and the city's spirit and enthusiasm for the sport," said BC Jindal Group Promoter Bhavesh Jindal at the launch.

"With unity, determination, and revival as its philosophy, the club's long-term vision will be to focus on youth development, community engagement, and grassroots football. Through this initiative, we also aim to facilitate long-term infrastructure development, academies, and local partnerships.

The new club also unveiled its brand-new logo that features a stylized Phoenix, a mythical bird rising from the flames, representing resilience and the rebirth of the sport in the city and its surrounding regions.

Our new identity shines a spotlight on Delhi rising from the ashes in the absence of professional football in the city and the region. With this move, the capital city, which once had a thriving football culture and stood at the heart of Indian football, will return to the top-tier of Indian football leagues with its own club, said Sporting Club Delhi CEO Dhruv Sood.

BC Jindal Group's Jindal Football had acquired the sporting license for Hyderabad Football Club before the ISL 2024-25.

Hyderabad FC won the ISL title in 2021-22 season.