India’s cricket team may enter the upcoming Asia Cup without a main shirt sponsor after Dream11 ended its deal with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) last month, according to ESPNCricinfo. On Tuesday, BCCI began the process of finding a new sponsor by releasing an invitation for expression of interest. Interested companies can purchase the invitation until September 12, while the deadline to submit bids is September 16. The Asia Cup is scheduled from September 9 to September 28.
End of Dream11 partnership
The Indian government recently passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, banning real-money gaming. Since Dream11’s core business was in this sector, the company decided to exit its contract with BCCI. The deal had a clause allowing them to withdraw in case of such rules. Their contract, which was meant to run until 2026, was valued at around USD 44 million (about Rs 358 crore).
Sponsorship changes in the past
This is not the first time India has lost a sponsor mid-contract. In 2019, OPPO, a mobile phone company, ended its agreement three years before the original end date. Byju’s, an ed-tech company, replaced them before Dream11 secured a three-year deal in 2023.
Restrictions on sponsorship bids
In its latest invitation, BCCI clearly mentioned that companies linked to alcohol, betting, gambling, cryptocurrency, online money games, tobacco, or products considered harmful to public morals such as pornography will not be allowed to bid for the sponsorship rights.
India’s Asia Cup campaign
India will open their tournament against the UAE on September 10, followed by a high-profile clash with Pakistan on September 14 in Dubai. Their last group stage match will be against Oman on September 19 in Abu Dhabi. The top two teams from each group will move to the Super 4 stage, running from September 20 to 26. If India tops Group A, all their Super 4 matches will be in Dubai. If they finish second, one match will be in Abu Dhabi and the others in Dubai. The final is set for September 28 in Dubai.
India squad for Asia Cup: Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.
Reserves: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal.
