Why can't BCCI sue Dream11 despite early termination of ₹358 crore contract
Sports | Cricket
Lav
25 AUG 2025 | 13:38:58
After the introduction of the Online Gaming Bill, Dream11 had to exit as Team India’s lead sponsor. But here’s the twist - even after the early termination of the contract, the BCCI cannot penalise this fantasy gaming platform. Why?
Let’s start from the beginning. Dream11 came on board with the BCCI in 2023, agreeing to pay the Indian board a sum of ₹358 crore. Now that Dream11 has terminated the contract, shouldn’t the BCCI be able to sue them? The answer is no, because there was a special clause in the agreement. It stated that “in case a new law halts the company’s core business, Dream11 won’t be liable to pay anything to the BCCI.”
"(Representatives of) Dream11 visited the BCCI office and informed CEO Hemang Amin that they won't be able to continue," a BCCI official told The Indian Express.
The report further added "won't be liable to pay anything" to the Indian cricket board due to a clause in the Rs 358 crore contract that prevented them from being penalised in case a new law put a halt to the company's core business.
The report further added "won't be liable to pay anything" to the Indian cricket board due to a clause in the Rs 358 crore contract that prevented them from being penalised in case a new law put a halt to the company's core business.
Since the government passed this new bill, that very clause has saved Dream11 hundreds of crores. The flip side? Team India currently has no lead sponsor for the Asia Cup. However, the BCCI is expected to float a fresh tender soon.
Dream11’s footprint in sports went far beyond just its association with the BCCI. The platform was deeply embedded in the sporting ecosystem, sponsoring multiple IPL franchises as well as several top athletes. Its roster of brand ambassadors has featured some of the biggest names in Indian cricket, including MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, and Jasprit Bumrah. Back in 2020, when Chinese smartphone maker Vivo pulled out amid India-China tensions, Dream11 even stepped in as the IPL’s title sponsor.
And it wasn’t limited to India either. Internationally, Dream11 has served as the official fantasy partner of the Caribbean Premier League and taken on the title sponsorship of New Zealand’s domestic T20 competition, the Super Smash. The challenge now is that, unlike the IPL, many of these tournaments don’t enjoy the same level of financial muscle, which could make the months ahead particularly tough for them to sustain.
