The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is in full support of the central government’s two new bills — the National Sports Governance Law, 2025 and Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025 (which was passed in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, but is yet to become a law) — and will follow them in ‘true letter and spirit’, according to secretary Devajit Saikia.
Both regulations could have a significant impact on the board and the Indian cricket teams. To start with, the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill is calling for a blanket ban on all real-money gaming platforms and their promoters. That will include Dream11, the official shirt sponsor of the BCCI.
“Once the act comes into force, we will look into it, examine it and if it’s permissible, then we will take sponsorship (from online betting and gaming companies), if it’s not permissible, we’ll not do anything,” Saikia said about the latter.
“Take the example of cigarettes and liquor. Has the BCCI taken any sponsorship from the cigarettes and liquor companies once taking sponsorship from these kinds of companies was banned? So, whatever is permissible in the laws in force in our country, we will do that only. The BCCI will follow every policy of the country which is framed by the central government,” he added.
Dream11 is reportedly paying the BCCI Rs 358 crore for the rights from July 2023 to March 2026.
The National Sports Governance Law, 2025, made the government’s stance on multi-national cricket between India and Pakistan formal, allowing the BCCI to participate and play against the Men in Green in the 2025 Asia Cup in September. Under it, bilateral cricket between India and Pakistan remains outlawed, with cricketers from across the border not allowed to step into India unless it’s for a multi-nation tournament.
