Indian cricket is searching for a new main sponsor after fantasy sports giant Dream11 pulled out of a $43.6 million deal in the wake of a government ban on online gaming. The company informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that it could no longer continue as lead sponsor, according to reports on Monday.
Dream11, India’s largest online fantasy gaming platform, had signed a three-year agreement in July 2023 to become the official sponsor of both the men’s and women’s national teams. The company’s logo has featured prominently on team jerseys and it also sponsors several Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises, the Caribbean Premier League and Australia’s Big Bash League.
The partnership now lies in ruins after the Indian parliament passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill last week. The new law criminalises the offering and financing of online gambling, including fantasy sports, with offenders facing up to five years in prison.
Officials from Dream11 visited the BCCI’s Mumbai headquarters and informed chief executive Hemang Amin that the company could not continue under the new regulations, according to The Indian Express. “As a result, they won’t be the team’s sponsors for the Asia Cup. The BCCI will float a new tender soon,” a board official was quoted as saying.
The sudden withdrawal leaves Indian cricket scrambling for a new sponsor just weeks before the T20 Asia Cup begins in the United Arab Emirates on 9 September. “There’s not much time left for the Asia Cup, but we are exploring options,” another BCCI official told Sportstar.
The ban has struck a heavy blow to India’s booming online gaming industry, which includes fantasy cricket, poker and card games. Authorities argue that such platforms have caused widespread financial distress, addiction and even suicides among young people. The government has also linked them to fraud, money laundering and terrorism financing.
Dream11, which rose to prominence on the back of India’s obsession with cricket, now finds itself forced to retreat from its most high-profile sponsorship. For the BCCI, the challenge is clear: find a new partner capable of matching both the financial clout and visibility that Dream11 brought to Indian cricket.