Categories: Sports

Team India To Play Asia Cup Without A Sponsor For The First Time In History!

Due to the new Online Gaming Act that forbids the marketing of real money gaming, Dream11 cancelled their 358 crore sponsorship deal with India early, leaving them without a jersey sponsor in the United Arab Emirates. Participants in the new tender, which was introduced by the BCCI, will not be allowed to work in the gaming, cryptocurrency, alcohol, or tobacco industries.

Published by Namrata Boruah
Published: September 3, 2025 10:27:43 IST

The national cricket team of India will compete in the next Asia Cup 2025 starting on September 9 in the UAE and their jerseys will not have a lead sponsor on them. This judgment comes after Dream11 abruptly cancelled its 358 crore approximately USD 44 million sponsorship agreement before it could mature in 2026 because of the newly passed Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act this act outlaws real money online gaming and promotional activities and therefore it would have been illegal to continue to sponsor this event.

But why is Team India playing without a sponsor?

Due to the pullout by Dream11, the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) has imminently started another sponsorship hunt. It also issued an Invitation to Tender (ITT) and indicated that organizations that deal with real money gambling, cryptocurrency, alcohol, tobacco, adult content, or any sort of content that may be offensive to the general morals of society were ineligible to bid. Instead, companies can buy the ITT by September 12 and final bids are due by September 16, but the tournament would kick off September 9, featuring an India vs Pakistan match on September 14 i.e. the team would probably have no front of shirt sponsor at all.

BCCI searching for New sponsors

New sponsorship expectations of BCCI seem to be more profitable, they propose 3.5 crore per bilateral match and 1.5 crore per match in multi team tournaments. This would yield about ₹452 crore over 140 estimated matches in a 202528 cycle, approximately 20 percent higher than the Dream11 contract. The Indian team has undergone mid contract sponsor transitions historically e.g. OPPO dropped out prior to the contractual expiry in 2019, and as of 2023 Dream11 replaced Byju.

In short, Dream11 has left the scene because of new laws prohibiting real money gaming. The BCCI has already extended an invitation to new, legally acceptable sponsors in haste, but with the Asia Cup already in progress, Team India will be starting without a lead jersey sponsor.

Also Read: Surya Kumar Yadav is Ready for Asia Cup 2025 – Are Opposition Bowlers Prepared to Face Him?