“Won’t be liable to…”: Dream11 ends Indian cricket team sponsorship amid legal changes

Fantasy gaming platform Dream11 has officially ended its role as the lead sponsor of the Indian cricket team following the introduction of the Online Gaming Bill, 2025. With the new law banning real-money gaming platforms in India, Dream11 had no choice but to suspend its core services. While the company explores alternative business models, this move forced it to terminate most sponsorship agreements ahead of schedule. Despite the early exit, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) cannot take any action against Dream11.

“(Representatives of) Dream11 visited the BCCI office and informed CEO Hemang Amin that they won’t be able to continue… As a result, they won’t be the team’s sponsors for the Asia Cup. The BCCI will float a new tender soon,” a BCCI official told the Indian Express.

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A report confirmed that Dream11 “won’t be liable to pay anything” to the BCCI. The original Rs 358 crore contract included a clause protecting the company from penalties if new laws affected its core operations.

Dream11 had become the BCCI’s lead sponsor in 2023, taking over from ed-tech company Byju’s. But the impact of its exit goes beyond India.

The platform has sponsored multiple IPL franchises and some of the biggest names in Indian cricket, including MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, and Jasprit Bumrah. In 2020, Dream11 also became the IPL title sponsor after Chinese firm Vivo withdrew due to India-China tensions.

Beyond India, Dream11 is the official fantasy partner of the Caribbean Premier League and the title sponsor of New Zealand’s domestic T20 tournament, Super Smash. Many of these leagues don’t have the financial muscle of the IPL, so sustaining operations in the coming months could be challenging for them without Dream11’s support.

“Unchecked expansion of online money gaming services has been linked to unlawful activities including financial fraud, money-laundering, tax evasion and in some cases, the financing of terrorism, thereby posing threats to national security, public order and the integrity of the State,” the Bill stated.