With the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, getting passed in both houses of the Parliament in India, and also getting the assent of President Droupadi Murmu, the era of Fantasy Sports platforms are nearing an end. Following the movement, the Board of Control for Cricket in India is left without a lead jersey sponsor just days before the Asia Cup 2025 (which starts on  September 9 in UAE, India national cricket team play first match on September 10, against hosts), as Dream11 have backed out from the deal with the India national cricket team. Dream11 To Part Ways With BCCI As Lead Sponsor After Online Gaming Bill Passage.

What is Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025?

The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025 "aims to encourage e-sports and online social games while prohibiting harmful online money gaming services, advertisements, and financial transactions related to them" (as stated by AIR). It has also been stated, "The objective of the Act is to protect individuals, especially youth and vulnerable populations, from the adverse social, economic, psychological, and privacy-related impacts of such games. The Act also has a provision of complete ban on offering, operating, or facilitating online money games." As mentioned above, the bill has been passed  by both houses of the Parliament on August 21, 2025, while the President gave her assent on August 22.

Why Did BCCI and Dream11 Part Ways?

A ban on real money games indicates a ban on fantasy sports platforms like Dream11 and My 11 Circle on fantasy sports activities involving real money, which are sponsoring sports bodies, like cricket's BCCI. So, following Dream11's real money fantasy sports getting banned, their revenue suffers a big hit, and the relationship got strained as BCCI and Dream11 are discontinuing their relationship after the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill.

Dream11 had signed a three-year deal worth Rs. 358 crores in July 2023 to replace edtech company Byju’s as the lead sponsor of ICT. But now, after the passing of the Online Gaming Bill, Devajit Saikia, the BCCI secretary, has confirmed that the board’s association with fantasy sports company Dream11 has ended. Dream11's deal as the lead sponsor on the Indian cricket team was a deal from 2023 to 2026, but the deal suffered a premature end. BCCI Looking for New Title Sponsor After Ending Association With Dream11, Says Devajit Saikia.

Devajit Saikia has also revealed that the BCCI is looking for an alternative sponsor. Saikia told IANS, "We have not finalised anything, but we'll have to have an alternative now. Because with Dream11 going away, there will be some vacancy in the sponsorship slot. So, we have to have an alternative, not a replacement. What we'll have to do and how we are going to do it, on that, we are deliberating now.” Saikia also said, “BCCI and Dream11 are discontinuing their relationship after the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, was passed. BCCI will ensure not to indulge with any such organisations in future”. With BCCI looking for a new alternate lead jersey sponsor, the big question is who will manage to bag the opportunity.

Probable Team India Lead Sponsor After Dream 11 Exit

Reliance Group

Reliance Industries, founded in 1957, is one of the biggest Indian MNCs. The company has a net worth of around 240 billion USD.  Reliance have teams in IPL, WPL (Mumbai Indians) and have been a long-time sponsor/investor in the world of cricket, with their company associated with the BCCI for decades. In fact, the  1987 Cricket World Cup in India, was named as the Reliance Cup, for sponsorship reasons. JioHotstar, the digital rights holder of Team India matches in India, are also co-owned by them.

Tata Group

Sponsoring the Indian cricket team is probably one of the costliest investments one could make in sports in the entire Indian subcontinent. This makes it quite obvious for big companies to play a more active part. Legacy companies/ conglomerates (Companies with multiple businesses grouped together) like the Tata Group can be speculated as strong contenders. Tata Group is the title sponsor of the cash-rich IPL, which BCCI organizes. Founded in 1868, the company has a reported revenue of over 400 billion USD. Having invested heavily in IPL, they might want to invest more.

Adani Group

Adani Group are also one of the biggest conglomerates in India. Adani Group are also investing in many sports projects, They own the Gujarat Giants in WPL, and teams in ILT20, and many domestic leagues. They are emerging as one of the biggest sports investors, and with multiple consumer based companies under their umbrella, sponsoring the front of Team India jersey might be a great zone for them.

Pepsi Co.

FMCG brands, such as Pepsi, have long been associated with the BCCI. Pepsi has even been the title sponsor of IPL in the past. Pepsi Co. is one of the biggest company in the world, who do sports sponsoring at the top level. They have been  associated with BCCI, ICC events, and sponsoring Men in Blue might interest them.  ‘See You in Second Innings
’ Dream11 Stops All Paid Contests After Indian Government Passes Online Gaming Law 2025 (See Post).

FinTech Companies

The FinTech industry is seeing rapid growth in India. Companies like Zerodha, Angel One, and Groww have a strong digital presence and have been advertising for a long time during the cricket matches. These companies might not let the opportunity of advertising as the lead sponsor on the jersey front of Men in Blue go to waste. Besides, several insurance companies are also involved in sports sponsorship, and would not like to waste the opportunity.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 25, 2025 01:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).