Why Team India Will Play Asia Cup 2025 Without a Jersey Sponsor

Asia Cup 2025: Team India to Play Without Jersey Sponsor

In a significant revelation prior to the Asia Cup 2025, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that Team India will be doing the Asia Cup 2025 without a jersey sponsor. In an unprecedented circumstance, we can only assume that the sudden termination of the jersey sponsorship by Dream11 resulted from the new governmental regulations which impacted the business model of Dream11.

As a result, names like Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman Gill, and the other Indian stars will don jerseys with simply a bigger ‘India’ branding in the impending tournament.

Why Did Dream11 Back Out of Its Sponsorship?

Dream11 signed a sponsorship deal in 2023 for around USD 44 million (INR 358 crore), planning to continue it until 2026. But they pulled out early because of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, which stops real-money gaming in India.

Since Dream11 mainly makes money through fantasy sports with real-money involved, this new law made them quit the deal sooner than expected.

BCCI’s Search for a New Sponsor

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has taken action to run a new bidding process for the principal sponsorship rights of India after the abrupt departure to cover. The board has made public a Request for Proposal (RFP) on September 2, which states the requirements for companies interested in the project.

• Companies willing to present EOIs (Expressions of Interest) have time until September 12 to submit their applications.
• The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will accept final proposals by September 16.

Since the Asia Cup is getting underway on September 9, it appears almost certain that the team India will be playing with no sponsors’ logo on the jersey.

That is not the first instance where the BCCI had to go through such hurdles. In 2019, OPPO terminated the agreement early, Byju’s intervened; then Dream11 replaced Byju’s and also exited early.

Tight Restrictions for Potential Sponsors

The BCCI has specified stringent eligibility restrictions for future jersey sponsors. Businesses associated with alcohol, betting, gambling, online real money gaming, cryptographic currency, tobacco, or adult/pornographic content are prohibited from bidding.

The purpose of this initiative is to guarantee that Indian cricket’s association is consistent with cultural values and legal regulations.

Asia Cup 2025: India’s Games

Even though there’s been a change with sponsorships, the Asia Cup 2025 is still expected to get Indian fans super excited. Suryakumar Yadav will lead the Men in Blue as they head to the UAE on September 4.

Here’s the schedule for India’s group stage games (Group A):

• India vs UAE – September 10, Dubai
• India vs Pakistan – September 14, Dubai (big game!)
• India vs Oman – September 19, Abu Dhabi

Group B includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Hong Kong. The best two teams from each group move on to the Super Four stage. The final game is set for September 28.

Not having a jersey sponsor while playing in the Asia Cup 2025 will definitely be strange for the team India, particularly for a tournament that is not under the ICC. Though the Board of Control for Cricket in India is on the job to secure a new sponsor, the fans will first get to see the team India play restated kits bearing only the ‘India’ tag.

Besides the question of how the sponsorship issue might affect the team India, there is the big game between India and Pakistan on September 14 that everyone will be watching. It is the headline fixture of the tournament.