India likely to play Asia Cup without team sponsor

New Delhi [India], September 2 (ANI): Team India is likely to play the upcoming Asia Cup without a lead sponsor on their shirts following Dream 11's withdrawal from its deal with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) last month, reported ESPNCricinfo.

On Tuesday, the BCCI kick-started the process of gaining a new sponsor as they released an invitation for expression of interest for the lead sponsorship rights for the national team. The last date for parties to purchase this invitation of interest is September 12, and the bid submission deadline is September 16. The Asia Cup will kick off on September 9 and conclude on September 28.

Following the Indian government's passage of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill last month, which prohibits real-money gaming, Team India needed a new sponsor, as the aforementioned form of gaming was Dream 11's main business. Following this development, Dream11 communicated to the BCCI that it would have to pull out of the deal, which had an exit clause in place to account for such government regulations. Dream11's contract was until 2026 and was worth 44 million USD (Rs 358 crore approximately), as per ESPNCricinfo.

Before this, OPPO, a mobile phone company, had withdrawn from the contract three years before it was scheduled to end, back in 2019. The education technology company Byju's filled the space before Dream 11's successful bid for a three-year bid in 2023.

In its invitation for expression of interest for team sponsor, BCCI also specified that brands related to alcohol, betting or gambling services, cryptocurrency, online money gaming, tobacco brands, or any product or service likely to "offend public morals, such as, including but not limited to, pornography" were ineligible to submit a bid.

India will kick off their campaign against the UAE on September 10, while the high-voltage game against Pakistan is scheduled for September 14, with both fixtures set to be played in Dubai. India will play their final group stage fixture against Oman on September 19 in Abu Dhabi.

After the group stage, the tournament will proceed to the Super 4, where the top two teams from each group will qualify. If India finishes at the top of Group A, then all of their Super 4 matches will be held in Dubai. If India finishes second, then one of their Super 4 clashes will be held in Abu Dhabi, and the remaining two will be held in Dubai. The Super 4 stage will run from September 20 to 26. Dubai will host the final, which is scheduled for September 28.

Team India squad for Asia Cup: Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh

Reserve players: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal. (ANI)

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