25 Aug 2025 : Fantasy sports platform Dream11 reportedly informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that it will no longer sponsor the Indian cricket team, after ‘The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill’ was passed by both houses of parliament on Thursday. The decision left the BCCI searching for a new sponsor ahead of the Asia Cup, which begins on September 9 in the UAE.
According to a report in the Indian Express, Dream11 representatives visited the BCCI office in Mumbai and informed the board CEO about their decision. It added that the Indian board is expected to issue a new tender soon.
“(Representatives of) Dream11 visited the BCCI office and informed CEO Hemang Amin that they won’t be able to continue… As a result, they won’t be the team’s sponsors for the Asia Cup. The BCCI will float a new tender soon,” a BCCI official said.
Another official confirmed that the sponsor’s decision to pull out is unlikely to be penalised, owing to a clause in the contract. The clause states that if the sponsor’s core business is affected by a change in law enforced by the Indian government, they ‘won’t be liable to pay anything’ to the cricket board.”
Dream11, founded 18 years ago and now valued at $8 billion, became BCCI’s lead sponsor in July 2023, replacing edtech firm Byju’s with a three-year deal worth ₹358 crore. Besides the Indian team, they also ventured into the IPL, where they roped in several top players like Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah as their brand ambassadors. In 2020, they even became the trophy sponsor of the IPL, replacing Chinese firm Vivo.
Dream 11 also has a presence in foreign leagues. They are the official fantasy partner of the Caribbean Premier League and the title sponsor of Super Smash. They also have footprints in the Australian domestic T20 competitions, the Big Bash League and the Women’s Big Bash League. Not to forget, they also partnered with the International Cricket Council in 2018.
Summary:
Fantasy sports platform Dream11 has told BCCI it will no longer sponsor the Indian cricket team, with representatives visiting the board’s office to convey this.