BCCI invites bids to replace Dream11 as national team lead sponsor

BCCI invites bids to replace Dream11 as the Indian cricket team's lead sponsor, following the passing of the Online Gaming Bill. The deadline for submitting bids is September 16

Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has invited bids from entities to acquire the national team lead sponsor rights on Tuesday.

The board announced the release of an Invitation for Expression of Interest (IEOI), which provides the detailed terms and conditions governing the submission and evaluation of bids.

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The last date to purchase IEOI documents is September 12, while the deadline for submission of bid documents is set for September 16.

Last month, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed to IANS that the board’s association with fantasy sports company Dream11 had ended after the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025 was passed in both houses of Parliament, and deliberations over finding a new lead sponsor are ongoing.

Dream11 had signed a three-year deal worth Rs 358 crore in July 2023 to replace edtech company Byju’s as the lead sponsor of the Indian cricket team.

The BCCI said that the IEOI will be made available upon receipt of payment of a non-refundable fee of Rs 5 lakh plus any applicable Goods and Services Tax (GST).

“Bidders are required to email the details of payment made for the purchase of the IEOI to sponsorship@bcci.tv
, as per the procedure laid down in ANNEXURE A. It is clarified that the IEOI documents shall be shared only upon the confirmation of payment of the non-refundable IEOI fee.”

“Any bidder wishing to submit a bid is required to purchase the IEOI. However, only those satisfying the eligibility requirements set out in the IEOI and subject to the other terms and conditions set out therein will be eligible to bid. It is clarified that merely purchasing the IEOI does not entitle any person to bid,” the BCCI said in a release.

The BCCI also said it reserves the right to cancel or amend the IEOI process at any stage in any manner without providing any reason.

The bidder must note the following requirements and restrictions pertaining to eligibility with respect to the IEOI:

A bid may only be submitted by:
(i) the person/entity which has purchased a copy of this IEOI upon payment of the IEOI fee; or
(ii) any person/entity which is in the same group as such person/entity.

The IEOI fee paid by the bidder (whether successful or unsuccessful) shall not be refunded or adjusted against any other payment obligation of the bidder under any circumstances.

As per the financial eligibility laid out by the BCCI, the average turnover of each bidder for the last three years must be at least Rs 300 crore (Indian Rupees Three Hundred Crore only) as per the last three audited accounts; or the average net worth of each bidder for the last three years must be at least Rs 300 crore (Indian Rupees Three Hundred Crore only) as per the last three audited accounts.

Under the ‘Fit and Proper Person’ criteria, the bidder:
(i) must not have been convicted by a court of a criminal offence or offences involving moral turpitude, economic offence, or fraud;
(ii) must not have any conflict of interest as per the BCCI Conflict of Interest Rules;
(iii) must have no conviction for any offence punishable with imprisonment for two years or more in any jurisdiction;
(iv) must not be categorised as a wilful defaulter by the Reserve Bank of India; and
(v) must be a person of integrity and reputation to be deemed a ‘Fit and Proper Person’ to submit a bid.

Under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, the bidder, including any of its group companies, who is engaged in online money gaming, betting or gambling services or similar services in India or anywhere in the world, and who provides any online money gaming, betting or gambling services or similar services to any person in India, is not permitted to submit a bid.

Bidders, including any of their group companies, should not be directly or indirectly engaged in the business of crypto trading, crypto exchange, crypto tokens, or any business of a similar nature.

Bidders are prohibited from submitting bids through surrogate brands. Surrogate branding refers to any attempt to indirectly submit a bid on behalf of a different entity or person through the use of a different entity or person. This includes, but is not limited to, the use of different names, brands, identity, or logos.

A bidder operating or engaged in multiple brand/product categories, one of which falls under either the blocked brand categories or prohibited brand categories, shall not be permitted to submit a bid in respect of such blocked brand categories or prohibited brand categories.

The prohibited brand categories are: 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; and any category that is likely to offend public morals, such as pornography.

The existing sponsors of the BCCI under the brand categories like Athleisure and sportswear manufacturers, banks, banking & financial services, non-banking financial companies, non-alcoholic cold beverages, fans, mixer grinders and safety locks, and insurance fall under locked brand categories.