The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has set its expectations clear after the departure of Dream11, a sports-tech giant, as the lead sponsor for its national teams. Dream11 had to terminate its contract prematurely after the passing of the Online Gaming Bill in the parliament. The situation does leave the Indian board in a fix as it's tough to get a sponsor in time for the start of the Asia Cup 2025 and get the men's national team's jerseys printed. However, NDTV sources have confirmed that the board is looking to rope in a new sponsor for the 2025-28 period, valuing the sponsorship at around Rs 450 crore.
Dream11 had signed a three-year deal with the BCCI, which would have seen the brand pay the Indian board Rs 358 crore over the course of the contract. However, the deal had to be ended roughly two years from the date the contracts were signed.
NDTV sources have confirmed that the BCCI is now looking to get a sponsor for 140 matches from 2025 to 2028. It would be an improved contract in comparison to what Dream11 paid the board. The sponsorship would be for both home and away bilateral matches, as well as multi-team tournaments organized by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The BCCI has also set targets of Rs 3.5 crore per bilateral match and Rs 1.5 crore for ICC and ACC fixtures-more than Dream11 but less than what it used to get from Byju's.
As far as the upcoming Asia Cup is concerned, the BCCI is trying to have a shirt sponsor before the start of the continental tournament, but since the timelines are short, there could be a slight delay. However, the board is confident of sealing a new entity before the Women's World Cup, which starts on September 30 of this year.
