The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) governing body has today issued a tender for lead sponsorship rights to the national men's cricket team, after terminating its agreement with Dream11 late last month.
The Dream11 igaming and fantasy sports operator was removed from the highly coveted position after a complete ban on real money igaming was put in place in India, through the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025. It had reportedly been paying the equivalent of $14.5 million annually.
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Dream11's branding has adorned the front of the Indian men's national team's kit for the last two years, through the tie-up.
As soon as the ban was enacted, Dream11 announced it would be shuttering its real-money business with immediate effect, and its BCCI deal, which came into effect in July 2023, was terminated.
Now, the BCCI has formally initiated the process to find a successor to Dream11, with the relevant documents released today, and a deadline for their purchase of September 12. Following that deadline, all necessary bidding documents must be in by September 16.
This timeline means that a Dream11 replacement will not be found ahead of the men's 2025 Asia Cup national teams tournament (being held this time as a Twenty20 competition), taking place between September 9 and 28 in Abu Dhabi, which India will enter as defending champions.
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By GlobalDataThe controlling body has, in light of Dream11 pulling out, also banned companies involved in real-money gaming and cryptocurrency from taking part in the tender.
The Indian government legislation noted above states that "no person shall offer any aid, abet, induce, indulge, engage in offering online money gaming services, nor shall be involved in any advertisement which directly or indirectly promotes any person to play any online money game."
It was reported, in the immediate aftermath of the deal being terminated, that new players reportedly circling the prized sponsorship inventory include car manufacturer Toyota, which is a prominent cricket sponsor internationally, and an unnamed financial technology firm.
Other current BCCI sponsors include companies such as IDFC First Bank, Campa, Atomberg Technologies, and Adidas (as kit supplier).
For Dream11, meanwhile, the cancellation of the deal early will reportedly not net that brand a penalty fee, due to a government regulation clause inherent within the pair’s contract.
The ban on igaming in India, and particularly Dream11’s forced withdrawal from the industry, is having a marked impact on cricket around the globe, not just in India.
Indeed, the European Cricket League, a competition for club sides on the continent, organized by the European Cricket Network, has announced its suspension just days after the news from India broke; such is the importance of Dream11’s financial backing to the continued operation of the competition.
Elsewhere in Asian cricket, the MTV Channel broadcaster in Sri Lanka has snapped up exclusive TV broadcast rights and non-exclusive digital rights to competitions organized by the Asian Cricket Council regional body.
This deal runs through 2027 and starts with the upcoming men's Asia Cup in the UAE later in September.
Aside from that tournament, it also encompasses the Women's Asia Cup, as well as multiple under-19 and emerging teams events. In total, 12 tournaments over the cycle are covered.
In terms of cricket broadcast rights in Sri Lanka, late August saw the International Cricket Council (ICC) global body open a tender for rights to its own events between 2026 and 2028 in that market.
In total, the cycle covers four men's and three women's major ICC events through the beginning of 2028. This number includes the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka early next year, as well as the Men's Cricket World Cup in 2027, set to be held across South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
Interested parties should email iccmediarights2024-2031@icc-cricket.com to gain access to the tender documentation.
For the current cycle – which only began in early 2024 – MTV also holds these rights in Sri Lanka.
