Veteran cricketers Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who have retired from Test cricket and now play only in ODIs, have recently faced significant financial losses.
The reason behind this stems from a decision by the Government of India.
The government introduced the Online Gaming Bill 2025, which bans real-money online games such as Dream11 and My11Circle in India.
As a result, the BCCI’s sponsorship deals with these platforms ended, causing a major revenue hit. Dream11 contributed around ₹120 crore annually to the BCCI, while My11Circle’s deal was worth ₹125 crore.
Top players were also impacted. According to Cricbuzz, Virat Kohli earned ₹10–12 crore through such endorsements, while Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni earned ₹6–7 crore each.
With these platforms now banned in India, the deals were terminated, affecting not only Kohli and Rohit but also stars like KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, and Rishabh Pant, who had similar contracts with these gaming companies.
Dream11 Exits BCCI Sponsorship, No Penalty to Be Paid
Following the government ban on online gambling, Dream11 has withdrawn from its three-year sponsorship deal with the BCCI, reportedly valued at ₹358 crore, signed in July 2023. The deal had made Dream11 the lead sponsor for both men’s and women’s national cricket teams, with the logo prominently featured on jerseys.
It remains unclear whether Dream11 will also terminate its agreements with IPL franchises, as the platform sponsors multiple teams in the tournament.
As per reports, under the contract, Dream11 is not required to pay any penalty, thanks to a clause stating that if a sponsor’s core business is affected by government regulations, no compensation is due to the BCCI.
With major events like the Asia Cup and Women’s World Cup approaching, the BCCI has already started exploring options to appoint a new title sponsor.
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