India on the lookout for new jersey sponsor ahead of Asia Cup, confirms BCCI secretary
After speculations of Team India leaving for Asia Cup 2025 without a title jersey sponsor, it has been confirmed that the BCCI and Dream11 have parted ways. The abrupt task to find a new sponsor has emerged after the Indian legislation banned real-money gaming in the nation. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill imposed stern sanctions on fantasy gaming platforms, delivering a significant blow to Dream11 and similar applications. Meanwhile, the fantasy gaming giant has relinquished its spot as the title sponsor for India jersey, mere days before the team leaves for the Asia Cup in the UAE.
BCCI secretary reacts to the possibility of India playing the Asia Cup 2025 without a title jersey sponsor
The BCCI onboarded Dream11 as the title sponsor of India jersey in 2023 with a 358-crore deal. The partnership cruised seamlessly for a couple of years before the Indian legislation curbed the fantasy gaming giant’s operations. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill has already been passed in the Indian parliament. The new provision effectively bans real-money gaming in India. Moreover, stern sanctions have been introduced against the endorsement of these activities.
As Dream11 grapples with the blow, the online gaming entity has concluded its partnership with the BCCI as the lead sponsor for India jersey. The government’s restrictions on real money gaming have compelled Dream11 to discontinue its cash contests. Since Dream11 serves as the key revenue driver for its parent company, Dream Sports, industry analysts anticipated that the clampdown would make it unsustainable for the platform to keep pouring large sums into marketing, advertising, and sponsorship deals.
The conclusion of Dream11's collaboration with the BCCI was anticipated after the bill's introduction. However, the official confirmation arrived on Monday, as BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia talked about India’s sponsorship plans for the upcoming Asia Cup edition. BCCI maintains that they are actively in talks with potential sponsors, but any partnership will move forward only if the brand fits the image of Indian cricket. Saikia, furthermore, also spoke about the prospect of finding a new sponsor well in time for the ACC tournament.
“Our association with Dream11 is over after the new legislation has come into force,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said, referring to the new legislation. “For the next course of action, we are deliberating on what the alternatives should be," he added. “We are working with a positive mindset," Saikia said when asked about finding a new sponsor before the Asia Cup.
The booming fantasy gaming sector has faced a major setback due to recent government regulations. Many companies have been forced either to close operations or shift their focus to alternative ventures. Meanwhile, there's another lucrative deal that’s now on the verge of conclusion for the Indian cricket board. The BCCI currently continues to hold a Rs. 625-crore IPL sponsorship deal with My11Circle. While the deal is all set to see twilight, Saikia pushed it ahead, highlighting that the next season of IPL is still months away in the India cricket schedule.
“We still have time for the next IPL. We will cross the bridge when we get there. Our immediate priority is the Asia Cup,” Saikia said about the IPL partnership.
Finding a new title sponsor, meanwhile, would not be a foreign task for the BCCI. Oddly, Dream11 is not the first brand whose position as the title sponsor of India jersey has faltered after the entity took a hard hit. Sahara, which started out as the title jersey sponsor for India in the early 2000s, was declared bankrupt by the time its partnership ended with the BCCI. The way ahead then indicated a puzzling pattern of all the title sponsors falling prey to the now infamous India jersey curse.
Brands like Star, Oppo, and Byju's followed Sahara as the title sponsor for India jersey. Each of them exited eerily like its predecessor, dragged through a downfall. Star was hit by the rapid rise of OTT platforms, while Oppo's grip on the Indian market could not survive regulatory investigations. Byju's faced a similar fate, and now Dream11 has joined the long list of brands losing their identities after securing the spot on the Indian cricket jersey.
