After fantasy sports giant Dream11 withdrew from sponsorship, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday invited bids for the Indian cricket team’s title sponsorship rights. However, companies involved in real-money gaming and cryptocurrency have been barred from participating, as the government has imposed restrictions on such businesses. Team India will play the Asia Cup 2025, starting on 9 September in the UAE, without a title sponsor, as the last date to submit bids has been set for 16 September.
Dream11 recently shut down its real-money gaming operations due to the implementation of the Online Gaming Promotion and Regulation Act 2025. According to the act, “No person shall offer, assist, induce, engage, or participate in any online money gaming services, nor be involved in any advertisement that directly or indirectly encourages anyone to play online money games.” BCCI had a title sponsorship deal worth around ₹1,000 crore with Dream11 and My11Circle for the Indian cricket team and the Indian Premier League (IPL).
In its statement, BCCI said, “The bidder, including any of its group companies, must not be engaged anywhere in India or globally in online money gaming, betting, gambling, or similar services. They must not offer any such services to anyone in India and must not have any investment or ownership interest in individuals or entities involved in betting or gambling within India.” The last date to purchase the Invitation to Express Interest (IEOI) documents is 12 September, while the deadline for bid submission is 16 September. It further stated that “The bidder or any of its group companies must not engage in any activity or business prohibited under the Online Gaming Act 2025.”
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Additionally, companies associated with tobacco, alcohol, or any product that hurts public morality are not eligible to bid. BCCI also clarified that certain brand categories would be “blocked” as the board already has existing sponsors in those sectors. These include athleisure and sportswear, banks, financial and non-banking financial services, non-alcoholic beverages, fans, mixer grinders, security locks, and insurance. Currently, Adidas, Campa Cola, IDFC First Bank, and SBI Life are among BCCI’s existing sponsors.
BCCI further stated that if a bidder operates in multiple product categories and one of them falls under the prohibited or blocked list, they will not be allowed to submit a bid for that category. Moreover, the board has strictly prohibited bids through “surrogate brands.” Surrogate branding refers to any attempt to submit a bid indirectly through another entity, person, or brand name. This includes — but is not limited to — using different names, brands, identities, or logos to bypass restrictions.