The curse of being a BCCI sponsor has hit Dream11 too, like it did to its predecessors in ITC Limited, Sahara, Star TV, Oppo and Byjus. All of them had an inauspicious end to their respective stints and with the Online Gaming Bill being passed on August 21, Dream11's exit was only a matter of time.
With the passing of the Online Gaming Bill, real money gaming has been banned in India. This was a major source of revenue for Dream11 and other fantasy gaming vendors in the country. While Dream Sports, the parent company of Dream11, has other investments in their kitty, they will not be enough for the organisation to complete their deal with the BCCI, that runs till March 2026.
On Sunday (August 24), the BCCI has been officially informed by Dream Sports that they are stepping down as the official sponsor. With the Asia Cup just two weeks away, it is now up to the Board to finalise a new sponsor. Bids will start to be accepted soon, but the timeline and nature of it will be revealed in due course. The idea is, however, to fix a new sponsor before the tournament takes off.
When the infamous learning app BYJU's quit as BCCI's sponsor in 2023 following alleged fraud and bankruptcy, Dream11 had joined BCCI as their new sponsor. Owned by Harsh Jain, family friend of the Ambani family, Dream Sports had made rapid strides in the gaming industry, specifically through real money fantasy gaming.
Sources from the BCCI have also revealed that they were expecting this development once the Online Gaming Bill was passed in the Parliament.
Dream11 pulls out as Indian team sponsor. Indian team will be without any sponsor before #AsiaCup2025 https://t.co/ygmd6htLTL
— Devendra Pandey (@pdevendra) August 24, 2025
“If it’s not permissible, we’ll not do anything,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had said on Friday in reaction to the bill.
“The BCCI will follow every policy of the country that is framed by the central government.”
