Indian cricket’s BCCI governing body has reportedly raised the asking price for a new primary sponsor ahead of the bidding process.
After the collapse of the body’s previous, lucrative partnership with igaming heavyweight Dream11, the BCCI has launched the search for a replacement, with all necessary bidding documents to be submitted by September 16.
The new asking price has been set at INR 3.5 crore ($397,600) per bilateral fixture, up 10%, and INR 1.5 crore per multilateral fixture (where the branding only extends to the shirt sleeve), up 33%, meaning that the body could command as much as INR 400 crore ($45.3 million) for a three-year contract, assuming India competes in around 130 games over that period.
By comparison, Dream11 had reportedly been paying $14.5 million on its contract, which still had a year remaining.
Dream11 was removed from the highly coveted position recently, after a complete ban on real money igaming was put in place in India, through the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025.
The 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.
Dream11 first stepped in as the sponsor of the Indian national cricket team in 2023 after the end of the BCCI’s partnership with Byju’s that year.
That September 16 tender deadline means that India will compete in the entirety of the upcoming Asia Cup competition, which begins on September 9 and runs through September 28, without a primary sponsor.
Other current BCCI sponsors include companies such as IDFC First Bank, Campa, Atomberg Technologies, and Adidas (as kit supplier).
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 was the importance of Dream11’s financial backing to the continued operation of the competition.
Despite the coveted nature of the BCCI primary sponsorship, the position has often been fraught for those rich enough to enter the category, even prior to Dream11.
Dream11 replaced educational technology startup Byju’s, which fell upon hard times financially prior to the end of its sponsorship. Byju’s itself replaced Chinese tech brand Oppo, which ended its deal after relationships between China and India soured.
Prior to that, the likes of media company Star India, conglomerate Sahara, and cigarette brand Wills, all fell foul of regulatory or market-based strife after taking up front-of-shirt branding, leading many to consider the sponsorship position "cursed".
This will not, however, stop new prospective bidders with a protracted search now likely with the Asia Cup already out of reach, with markets such as the financial technology and automotive sectors serving as potential sources of interest.
The next brand that sponsors the BCCI will, as such, need to balance the wealth required to take up such a lucrative position and the political pressure of being allied with the biggest sporting institution in a country of 1.4 billion.
