India Cricket Team could play Asia Cup without jersey sponsor as BCCI awaits clarity on Dream11

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has once again found itself in soup with a sponsor. With the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill passed in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, it now needs the President of India’s signature to be enacted as a law. It will prohibit all fantasy platforms, including Dream11 & My11Circle, and any real-money gaming platforms from operating and placing ads. The India Cricket Team, which sports the Dream11 logo, won’t be allowed to do so. There is a penalty for BCCI if the India Cricket Team sports the logo. Now, with the Asia Cup coming in, the BCCI is waiting for the bill to be signed into law.

Fantasy gaming platform Dream11 replaced troubled ed-tech giant Byju’s in 2023 to secure the India Cricket Team’s lead sponsorship deal for Rs 358 crore or Rs 3 crore per home match and Rs 1 crore for away games. Another fantasy gaming platform My11Circle secured the Indian Premier League (IPL) associate sponsorship deal last year for Rs 625 crore for five years. The Men’s India Cricket Team will compete in the Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE, starting September 9. The women’s team will face Australia at home, starting Sep 14. As things stand, both teams could wear jerseys without any front logo. In ICC events, the teams are only allowed to have a sponsor’s logo on the sleeves.

“We are aware of the situation and are in touch with the concerned authorities and partners. At the moment, it’s not a law. But as per the bill, it doesn’t look like the men’s and women’s teams will be able to carry the logo. We are in discussion with the legal team,” a BCCI official told InsideSport.

What does the Online Gaming Bill say?

The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025 aims to ban real-money online gaming. It also prohibits companies from placing ads. Platforms or influencers who will carry such ads will face Rs 50 lakh fine and also imprisonment.

• Ban on real-money games: The bill prohibits offering, operating, aiding, or facilitating any online money games, including games of skill or chance. This includes barring banks and payment systems from processing related transactions.
• Prohibition on advertising: Advertising or promoting online money games is banned. It could lead to penalties including up to two years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to ₹50 lakh.
• Search, seizure and arrest: Authorised officers can conduct warrantless searches of premises, vehicles, electronic records, or virtual spaces (e.g., emails, social media) and arrest suspects without a warrant.
• Penalties for violations: Offering or facilitating money games carries up to three years imprisonment and a fine of up to ₹1 crore. Repeat offences attract 3-5 years’ jail and fines up to ₹2 crore. Non-compliance with guidelines may lead to civil penalties up to ₹10 lakh, registration suspension, or prohibition from operating games.

Cricket sponsorship to see a decline

It’s not the first time that a BCCI sponsor has faced trouble. While it won’t be difficult for the BCCI to replace Dream11 and My11Circle with another sponsor, the IPL teams will see a major decline in revenues. The BCCI already banned crypto and gambling ads in IPL. However, fantasy apps made up for majority of the team sponsorship deals.

While Vision11 sponsors Chennai Super Kings, Dream11 is the sponsor of all other nine teams in IPL. Apart from IPL teams and the BCCI, cricketers also promote fantasy apps. They will see a decline in their endorsement deals. However, industry experts believe cricket won’t suffer because of the Online Gaming bill.

“Cricket is huge in India, and there won’t be any dearth of sponsors for Indian cricket. However, the personal sponsorship market can shrink because of this bill. Fan engagement will also be affected,” Vidushpat Singhania, a lawyer told PTI.

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