The sponsorship of BCCI cursed? The list of victims of increasing brands FT. Dream11

Be the official sponsor of the team Indian cricket team Is corporate marketing crowned success. With packed stadiums and billions of settings on the Broadcast and Digital platforms, the logo of a sponsor on the chest of the players commands unrivaled visibility and reminder. However, since 2001, each company that has occupied this precious position has found itself mired in disputes: legal battles, regulatory repression or severe financial stress. The last participant, Dream11Now confronts his own existential crisis in the midst of radical legislation against real money games.

Dream11 and other fiasco of fantastic game applications with the government of India

DREAM11 assumed the invoicing in jersey in 2023 in the midst of the arrow evaluations for the largest gaming platform for fantasy in India. Users assemble virtual teams of real players and bet money on their performance – a model that led DREAM11 to unicorn status. However, on August 21, 2025, Parliament adopted the Promotion and regulation of the online gaming invoicewhich categorically prohibits the game applications of real money. Once the president has signed the bill, the main product of DREAM11 is prohibited nationally.

This regulatory blow aggravates previous problems. At the beginning of 2025, DREAM11 received a tax request of approximately RS 1,200 crore for an alleged escape from the TPS, although it successfully completed an opinion. A new control of the tax authorities remains imminent, casting a doubt on the ability of the company to finance its multi -year sponsorship commitment until 2026. Without legal solution, DREAM11 risks losing its main source of income and, by extension, of its investment in research on the Team India jersey.

1. Sahara (2001-2013): the longest race ends with the collapse

Sahara groupThe 12 -year association with Team India remains the longest sponsorship mandate in BCCI history. At its peak, the brand has become synonymous with Indian cricket, projecting financial power and attraction to the mass market. But behind the glitter, the Sahara was involved in what would become one of the most infamous corporate scandals in India.

Accused of having increased by almost 24,000 crosses thanks to dubs of questionable investors, the conglomerate has spent years locked up in deadly battles with the regulator of the SEBI market. In 2014, founder Subrata RoyThe arrest of the outrage in the court symbolized the dramatic fall of the group. This started as the most sustainable cricket partnership ended as a story of legal warning that went wrong.

Read also: Dream11 and other fantastic cricket applications suspend the acting of real money game

2. Star India (2014-2017): the splendor of the discoloration of a media giant

When Indian star Replaced Sahara, the agreement appeared seamless: a diffuser supported by Disney with cricket rights, commanding a recording recording and on the digital streaming wave via Hostar. But the cracks soon appeared.

The Competition of Competition of India has launched probes on alleged monopolistic practices, while Hotstar had trouble converting the filing of traffic into sustainable profits in the middle of mounting competition. In 2017, the autonomous identity of Star was diluted thanks to its merger with JIO, reducing the media Empire formerly dominant in another cog in the telecommunications juggernaut in terms of telecommunications in India.

3. Oppo (2017-2020): Smartphones and short-term glory

In 2017, Oppo Adopt on the scene with a sponsorship agreement of 1,079 sterling books, signaling the intention to dethrone Apple and Samsung on the rapid growth market of India. For a certain time, his name sported the jerseys of the India team gave him visibility in all the salons of the country.

However, the Halo is quickly. Patent battles with Nokia And Interdigital Consumed the company, while geopolitical tensions have fueled growing skepticism towards Chinese brands. By 2020, OPPO came out early, moving away from one of the most precious marketing platforms after failing to translate the Cricket buzz into sustainable market share.

4. ByJUS’s (2020-2022): EDTECH FULGURATOR

If the Sahara symbolized longevity and the Oppo symbolized the ambition, Byju toThe Boom of Indian Startups from India. In 2020, while the pandemic fueled online learning, the Edtech giant resumed sponsorship of the jersey at the top of its evaluation – $ 22 billion.

But rapid global expansion has hidden deep financial cracks. Assembly losses and payment defects quickly caught up. In 2022, insolvency petitions emerged and, in 2023, the BCCI dragged byju to the National Court of Companies law on unpaid sponsorship fees of 158 crores. What was formerly a symbol of India’s entrepreneurship did not end with a gender and finding dramatic descent.

5. Dream11 (2023 – Present): Fantasy turns into uncertain reality

Dream11’s fantastic sports platform revolutionized the commitment of fans when he resumed sponsorship in 2023. However, his main activity – the game of money – is now faced with an existential threat of the 2025 bill which prohibits paid entry game applications. Already in shock from a request for TPS of RS 1,200 crosses and new imminent tax probes, the multi -year jersey agreement of DREAM11 can become an albatrosur rather than a display panel, because its central risks of income flow are legislated by existence.

Read also: 3 reasons why the ban on Paris applications as Dream11 is a correct decision