The Board for Cricket Control in India (BCCI) announced on Saturday that fantasy gaming platform Dream 11 will be the lead sponsor of the Indian cricket team for the next three years. They will be replacing Ed-Tech company Byju's for an undisclosed amount after the latter quit following the end of the last financial cycle. The cricket governing body had invited closed bids for new sponsors and for quite some time, Dream 11 were one of the major names in the race.
“I congratulate Dream11 and welcome them on board again. From being BCCI's official sponsor to now being the lead sponsor, the BCCI-Dream11 partnership has grown from strength to strength. It is a direct testament to the trust, value, potential and growth that Indian Cricket offers. As we prepare to host the ICC World Cup later this year, enhancing fan experience is among our top priorities and I am confident that this partnership will help us elevate the fan engagement experience,” BCCI President Roger Binny said.
Dream11 will be seen on Team India jerseys starting from the Test series against the West Indies, the team's first assignment in the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle.
In case of principal jersey sponsors, the money given for every bilateral fixture where the sponsors name is in the middle of the shirt is three times more compared to what it pays for an ICC fixture where the centre of the jersey carries the country name and sponsors logo doesn't get a vantage positioning.
“As a long-standing partner of BCCI and Team India, Dream11 is thrilled to take our partnership to the next level. At Dream11, we share our love for cricket with a billion Indian cricket fans, and it is a matter of pride and our privilege to become the lead sponsor for the National team. We look forward to continue supporting the Indian sports ecosystem,” Harsh Jain, Co-Founder & CEO, Dream Sports said.
(With PTI inputs)