Apollo Tyres Becomes Team India’s New Sponsor After Signing Historic INR 579 Crore-Deal

Government regulations on online gaming platforms forced both Dream11 and My11Circle to end their sponsorships with Team India and the IPL.

Apollo Tyres Becomes Team India’s New Sponsor After Signing Historic INR 579 Crore-Deal

Apollo Tyres has signed a three-year contract to become India's new lead sponsor. (via BCCI.com)

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Apollo Tyres has signed a deal worth INR 579 crore ($65.7 million) with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), to become the new lead sponsor of the Indian cricket teams. The BCCI confirmed the deal in a press release, which comes a month after parting ways with Dream11. 

The Indian Men’s Cricket team, currently playing at the ongoing 2025 Asia Cup in the UAE, without a lead short sponsor, following Dream11’s surprising exit. The online gaming platform had to end its association with the BCCI prematurely due to the Indian government’s ‘Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025’, which introduced stricter regulations on real-money gaming platforms.

Dream11’s three-year contract as the lead shirt sponsor for both the Indian Men’s and the Women’s teams was set to run until June 2026, but it came to an early end. Following the exit, the BCCI floated new tenders for lead sponsorship rights on September 2. The board set a deadline of September 16 and explicitly stated that brands related to alcohol, cryptocurrency, betting and gambling, and tobacco were not eligible to apply.

While it was initially reported that Japanese automobile giants Toyota had shown interest, the BCCI latest press release confirms that Gurugram-based Indian multinational tyre manufacturing company Apollo Tyres has signed a new sponsorship contract with the team for the next three-year period. The agreement is worth a staggering INR 579 crore ($65.7 million), significantly more than Dream11’s previous three-year deal of INR 358 crore ($44 million) in 2023.

Under the terms of the agreement, Apollo Tyres is expected to pay INR 4.5 crores to the BCCI for each match, which is higher than the INR 4 crores that Dream11 paid for every match. This new sponsorship agreement is set to cover 121 bilateral matches and 21 games at ICC events, including the 2026 T20 World Cup and the 2027 ODI World Cup, and Apollo could make its debut on the Indian Women’s Team shirts for upcoming 2025 Women’s WC. BCCI said in a press statement:

The new partnership, secured after a rigorous bidding process, represents a substantial increase in sponsorship value, signifying the immense and growing commercial appeal of Indian cricket.

It remains to be seen how long-lasting this partnership will be, given the history of past failed sponsors of the Indian cricket team’s sponsors. Sahara Group, Oppo, Byju’s, and most recently Dream11, have all faced some form of financial or legal troubles, during or after their association with the team.

BCCI Explains Team India’s Decision to Skip Handshakes with Pakistan at 2025 Asia Cup

A senior BCCI official cleared the air surrounding the ‘handshake’ controversy, that erupted following the India-Pakistan clash at the ongoing Asia Cup. Following India’s victory, their players immediately headed to the dressing room, refusing to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts.

India Pakistan handshake row BCCI
An senior BCCI official backed the Team India’s decision to not shake hands with Pakistani players, following Asia Cup clash. (via Mint)

Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav also did not shake hands nor interact with Pakistan’s Salman Ali Agha during the toss. Once the rest of the Indian players decided to do the same at the end, the opponents were left in ire. The Pakistani team, in response, boycotted the post-match presentation ceremony, with PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi later lodging a complaint against the Indian team for unsportsmanlike conduct.

As the debate continues, a senior BCCI official noted that shaking hands after a match is a customary gesture and only a convention followed globally, but it is not a mandatory rule in the ICC’s rulebook. He further stated that the team refrained from the customary gesture primarily due to the deeply strained relations with Pakistan, which have worsened since the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. A senior BCCI official told PTI:

Look, if you read the rule book, there is no specification about shaking hands with the opposition…. If there is no law, then the Indian cricket team is not bound to shake hands with an opposition with whom there is a history of a strained relationship.

Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see whether Team India goes ahead with a similar non-cooperative stance in the Super Fours and the knock-out stages, in case Pakistan advances past the group stages. India’s next Asia Cup match is against Oman, while the Men in Green take on hosts UAE.

Also Read: IPL Team Joins Boycott of India-Pakistan Game in the Craziest Way Possible!