Indian Cricket Suffers Big Sponsorship Hit Following Online Gaming Ban

The world of sport in India is experiencing a massive economic shock following the passing of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025 in Parliament. The Houses have passed the bill prohibiting all money based gaming websites and simultaneously encouraging e sports and social gaming without betting. The law has caused waves in the cricket market since some of the best companies that previously sponsored Indian cricket are now being compelled to leave the table. With the Asia Cup set to start on September 9 the Board of Control for Cricket in India is finding it hard to find a new lead sponsor for the nation's team. If a replacement is not available in time the Indian team might step out without a lead sponsor on their jerseys which will be a sight to behold in contemporary cricket.

The ripple effect does not stop at the BCCI because players who had individual endorsement contracts with gaming firms are now preparing for heavy losses. Indian fantasy sports platform Dream11 that had been the top sponsor of the Indian cricket team has already withdrawn in the wake of new restrictions. Dream11 had been at the center of Indian cricket sponsorships for years but the abrupt withdrawal means senior players will also lose a part of their earnings. Rohit Sharma Jasprit Bumrah KL Rahul Rishabh Pant and the Pandya siblings Hardik and Krunal were attached directly to Dream11. Alternatively India's Test skipper Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj Yashasvi Jaiswal Ruturaj Gaikwad Rinku Singh and Sourav Ganguly sponsored My11 Circle. Virat Kohli had been partnered with MPL while erstwhile captain MS Dhoni had been the brand ambassador for WinZO.

This roll-call of names illustrates how entrenched the relationships between Indian cricket and fantasy sports organizations had become. From young prospects on the rise to the legends of the game several banked on endorsement deals with gambling applications to supplement their earnings. By estimates these deals collectively were worth anywhere from 150 to 200 crore rupees each year. The loss of the money will now be realized across the board as the new legislation criminalizes advertising and promotion of money based games on all types of media.

The figures paint an even clearer picture of the damage. Accounts indicate that Virat Kohli was earning about 10 to 12 crore annually from his MPL deal alone. Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni used to be in the six to seven crore bracket from their contracts. For young players the numbers were lower but still significant with endorsement value at around one crore a year. For such stars as Kohli the loss may not be so hard to take because his entire brand portfolio is still strong. But for cricketers who enjoyed just a handful of sponsorship contracts gaming apps usually accounted for a big proportion of their revenue.

Consider Mohammed Siraj. He had three endorsement contracts and one of them was with My11 Circle. The loss of that contract brings a direct 33 percent reduction in his brand earnings. Washington Sundar is in the same category where the expiry of his contract leads to a significant reduction in his overall endorsements. For such players the new bill has resulted in an immediate financial vacuum that won't be easy to bridge soon.

The BCCI also suffers a significant blow. Dream11 was sponsoring the national team, not to mention had deep connections with Indian cricket as a whole. My11 Circle was acting as an associate sponsor of the IPL and donating close to 125 crore rupees annually to the board. Some franchises such as Kolkata Knight Riders Lucknow Super Giants and Sunrisers Hyderabad also had commercial associations with these gaming firms. With the legislation now having been put in place all these arrangements must be cancelled out which will reduce sponsorship revenues for the board and the franchises.

The other factor that makes the situation all the more difficult is timing. The Asia Cup is imminent and the ICC World Cup is just not far. These are two of the largest cricket events in the calendar and usually the most profitable time frames for sponsorships. Losing big value sponsors in the run up to events like this is a serious financial issue. The BCCI will now be forced to look for alternative brands who are keen to jump in immediately and cover the space left by Dream11 and others.

At a more general level the new bill indicates a change in the way the government perceives the place of online gaming in society. While fantasy sports businesses had maintained that their websites involved skill rather than gambling the law now has no space for argument on this front. All money based gaming is prohibited and that has hit an industry that had heavily invested in Indian cricket directly. While so doing the bill promotes e sports and social games involving no wagering so new possibilities may present themselves for other types of alliances later.

In the meantime, however, everyone's attention is on short-term losses. The best cricketers are taking salary reductions from their endorsement list and the cricket board is staring at a sponsorship deficit of several hundred crores. Followers can now expect to see jerseys bereft of the familiar fantasy sports logos and IPL franchises would have to seek new sponsors. The larger context is evident Indian cricket is on the verge of a financial reboot and players and administrators alike will need to get used to the new landscape quickly.