A new primary sponsor for the Indian men's and women's national cricket teams has been found - Apollo Tyres.
Through a tie-up between that brand and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) - unveiled today - that brand becomes the lead sponsor of the Team India umbrella organization in a 2.5-year deal concluding in March 2028.
The tie-up, the Times of India publication has reported, will be worth in the region of $511,000 per game to the BCCI, which would represent a significant upgrade on what the previous main Team India partner, igaming heavyweight Dream11, was paying.
Apollo - for whom this deal represents a first Indian cricket tie-up - will now have its logo present across the front of match shirts worn by the men's and women's Indian teams during the course of the deal.
The front of the India national team match shirts represents one of the most prized assets in terms of sponsorship deals within cricket, given the viewing figures associated with India games.
The BCCI only launched its search for a new lead partner earlier this month, following the collapse of its contract with Dream11. The deadline for bid submissions was today.
Dream11 was removed from the highly coveted position in late August, after a complete ban on real money igaming was put in place in India, through the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025.
That brand 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.
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."
Rajeev Shukla, a vice-president of the BCCI, has now said: "The competitive nature of the bidding process highlights the strong market confidence in the BCCI and the global brand of Team India. We are confident that this partnership will be a driving force for mutual growth and success."
Other current BCCI sponsors include companies such as IDFC First Bank, Campa, Atomberg Technologies, and Adidas (as kit supplier).
Neeraj Kanwar, Apollo Tyres vice-chair and managing director, added: "This partnership is about national pride, strengthening consumer trust, and showcasing Apollo as a true leader in our category, while supporting Indian sport at the highest level and creating unforgettable moments for fans worldwide.”
