It is possible the Indian team may compete at the forthcoming Asia Cup without a lead sponsor after Dream 11 severed sponsorship ties with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The Asia Cup will take place in the United Arab Emirates from September 9–28 leaving the board limited time to onboard a new sponsor ahead of the tournament.
The trigger for Dream 11’s exit was the recent passage of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill by the Indian government which prohibits real-money gaming, a key revenue driver for Dream 11. As a consequence, the fantasy sports juggernaut was forced to invoke the exit clause in its agreement with the BCCI. The contract, which was signed in 2023 , was meant to run through 2026, and was worth around USD 44 million (INR 358 crore). The break continues the unexpected story of sponsorship in India’s team sponsorship history, and leaves the board searching for a sponsor at considerable speed.
The BCCI responded on September 2 by calling for expressions of interest from organizations ready to step up as lead sponsors. The deadline to purchase the documents was September 12, and bids must be finalized by September 16. As it will also be the time the Asia Cup is already underway, it looks very unlikely that the Indian team will begin the tournament with a sponsor’s logo on the front of their jerseys.
This will not be the first instance that Indian cricket has been forced into situations like this with sudden withdrawals of sponsorship. The previous instance being OPPO in 2019 pulling out its sponsorship deal three years before its contracted end. In turn, that led to Byju’s stepping in to replace OPPO. Dream 11 took over the rights in 2023. Once again this cycle exemplifies that the angles of externalities, such as government regulations, and business priorities, can disrupt sponsorship situations in Indian cricket in a blink of an eye.
Even with all this commercial uncertainty, the Indian team’s focus will still be on the playing field. The squad leaves for the UAE on September 4, while the team is grouped with Pakistan, Oman and the hosts, UAE. With matches against the UAE on September 10, Pakistan on September 14 and Oman on September 19, the players will want to be performing well – even if the Indian blue jersey is without a sponsor for the first time in decades.
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