The Sports Desk
The Indian men’s and women’s cricket teams finally have a new sponsor following some matches without one. The title sponsor for this year’s IPL will be Apollo Tyres, after streaming giant Dream11 pulled out due to regulatory changes in India. India’s cricket board inks 3yr deal with Apollo Tyres valued at about ₹579 cr, or $65.7 mln The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has inked a three-year agreement with tyre manufacturer Apollo Tyres worth $65.7 million. This sponsorship includes 121 bilateral international matches, along with other ICC events and both teams will wear Apollo Tyres branding on their jerseys.
It already held a contract worth around ₹358 crore, between 2023 and 2026. However, that didn’t last long and after the government enacted the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025, real-money gaming sites were no longer allowed to brand team sports. And because Dream11 is a business in that sense, the company had no option but to withdraw from the deal temporarily, leaving the teams sponsorless for a while.
In the interim, the men’s team travelled to the UAE for Asia Cup without any sponsor logo on their jerseys and even the women played an ODI series against Australia in similar manner. BCCI even floated an open call to potential sponsors on September 2-calling for bids till September 16 to fill the gap. In its criteria, the board excluded companies involved in alcohol, betting and gambling, cryptocurrency, tobacco or any products and services that can be deemed to violate public morals.
And with Apollo Tyres coming on board, the Indian teams haven’t been left high and dry – that much is known internationally too. Apollo has in the past linked up with global sports brands like Manchester United and this association will increase its visibility while also putting a full-fledged Indian cricket sponsorship deal in place.
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