BCCI Opens Bids to Replace Dream11 as Team India’s Lead Sponsor

Mumbai – The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has invited bids for the national team’s lead sponsor rights, following the end of its partnership with fantasy sports platform Dream11.

On Tuesday, the board issued an Invitation for Expression of Interest (IEOI) outlining the terms, conditions, and eligibility criteria for potential bidders. The deadline to purchase IEOI documents is September 12, with final bid submissions due by September 16.

Dream11 had signed a three-year, ?358 crore deal in July 2023 to replace Byju’s as Team India’s jersey sponsor. However, the agreement was terminated after the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025 was passed in Parliament, prohibiting companies linked to online money gaming, betting, or gambling from sponsorship deals.

Under the new bidding process, companies must meet strict eligibility criteria:

• A minimum average turnover or net worth of ?300 crore over the past three years.

• Compliance with the BCCI’s ‘Fit and Proper Person’ standards, which exclude entities with criminal convictions, conflicts of interest, or RBI wilful defaulter status.

• Restrictions barring firms engaged in crypto trading, betting, gambling, online money gaming, or surrogate branding.

• Prohibited brand categories include alcohol, tobacco, gambling, pornography, cryptocurrency, and online money gaming.

Certain categories, such as sportswear, banking and financial services, insurance, and non-alcoholic beverages, are locked to BCCI’s existing sponsors.

The board emphasized that the purchase of an IEOI does not guarantee the right to bid, and it reserves the authority to amend or cancel the process at any stage.

With inputs from IANS