BCCI bans crypto and online money gaming firms from applying for lead sponsorship

The Indian Cricket Board has banned crypto and online gaming firms from applying for lead sponsorship. The BCCI opened up the bidding process for the lead sponsorship rights, where companies get to have their name on the front of the Indian jersey. However, in a detailed notice, it explicitly mentioned the type of companies which were not allowed to put their name in the BCCI pool.

BCCI's move comes after the Indian government banned online money gaming platforms with the new Online Gaming Act 2025. The BCCI also issued a criterion that the companies applying for the sponsorship rights should have a minimum yearly turnover of Rs 300 crore.

The board released its notification on September 2 and allowed the entities time till September 16 to submit their bids. This means that India are likely to play without a jersey sponsor in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025.

The BCCI was forced to look for a new sponsor after Dream11 pulled out of the deal in August 2025, nearly a year before the conclusion of their deal. Dream11 decided to step away on August 25, after taking a heavy hit on their business due to the new laws.

Who are the companies that are not allowed to acquire the BCCI lead sponsorship rights?

Online Money Gaming, Betting, or Gambling Firms

The bidder, including any of its group companies:

• Should not be engaged in online money gaming, betting, gambling services, or similar services in India or anywhere in the world.
• Should not provide such services to any person in India.
• Should not have any investment or ownership interest in any person engaged in betting or gambling services in India.

To clarify: Any Bidder (or its Group companies) engaged in activities prohibited under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, is not permitted to submit a bid.

Cryptocurrency and Related Businesses

The Bidder, including any of its Group companies:

Should not be directly or indirectly engaged in the business of:

• Crypto trading
• Crypto exchanges
• Crypto tokens
• Or any business of a similar nature

Multi-Category Brand

If a Bidder operates in multiple brand or product categories, and any one of those falls under either:

• Blocked Brand Categories (Athleisure and Sportswear Manufacturer, Banks, Banking & Financial Services, and Non-Banking Financial Companies, Non-Alcoholic Cold Beverages, Fans, Mixer Grinders, and Safety Locks, Insurance)
• Prohibited Brand Categories (Alcohol Products, Betting or Gambling Services, Cryptocurrency, Online Money Gaming or any such activities prohibited under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, Tobacco, companies that offend public morals)

Then that bidder shall not be permitted to submit a bid for such blocked or prohibited categories.

However, the bidder may still submit a bid for any other brand category not falling under those restrictions.

Surrogate Branding

Bidders are prohibited from submitting bids through surrogate brands.

Surrogate branding refers to any attempt to indirectly submit a bid on behalf of another entity or person using a different name, brand, identity, or logo.

This includes (but is not limited to):

• Use of alternative entities
• Use of different logos, names, or brand identities
• Any deceptive or indirect representation on behalf of another party

The lead sponsors of the BCCI have faced a tough time in the recent past. Multiple companies, including Dream11, have either faced legal trouble or have been bankrupt.

• Sahara sparkled with grandeur in 2001, but by 2011 it collapsed under the SEBI heat. Its founder even ended up in jail.
• Star India, the broadcasting titan, rode high from 2014 to 2017, only to get entangled in antitrust probes and financial pressures that eroded its dominance.
• Oppo, a Chinese phone giant, quit amid geopolitical tensions — collateral in the India-China fallout.
• Byju’s, once India’s most celebrated edtech unicorn, grabbed the jersey and even FIFA sponsorships, only to be dragged down by debt, default, and eventual bankruptcy.