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3 Times Team India Lost Its Sponsor Due To External Reasons
Follow UsRecently, Dream 11 had to withdraw due to the passing of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill
Team India sponsorship is a coveted achievement for any business entity in the country. As a result, you have the biggest entities in India associated with Indian cricket, whether it be the Tatas or the Ambanis.
However, over the years, there has been an unfortunate pattern developing where Team India’s title sponsors have been forced to withdraw due to external reasons. Dream 11 is the latest entrant in that list. Let’s look at three such key sponsors from the past.
Sahara
Sahara was associated with Indian cricket for a long period of time, which began in 2003 and included the World Cup-winning campaigns in 2007 and 2011. The Sahara logo and the tricolour in front of the jersey became the symbol that all the kids growing up in the 90s and 2000s associated with India.
However, due to multiple legal sanctions and cases involving the top Sahara leadership, the business of the company started faltering. They then faced regulatory issues with SEBI (Security and Exchange Board of India), which looks over financial transactions and market services in the country. As a result, Sahara had to withdraw its sponsorship in 2013.
Oppo
Oppo, a Chinese technology company that used to be a mobile giant in India, sponsored the Indian team for three years between 2017 and 2020. However, due to the rising geopolitical tensions between India and China at the MacMohan line (border), there was a lot of pressure on the BCCI to let go of their main sponsors.
Eventually, Oppo had to withdraw due to the pressure, and the BCCI let go of a lucrative sponsor who was set to fund Indian cricket for many years to come.
Byju’s
Byju’s, an Edtech giant in the country, sponsored Team India for a massive 35 million USD in 2020. However, the company started incurring huge losses as the top management came under fire for ultra-aggressive branding in the country. Eventually, the company’s valuation came down to almost nothing, and Byju’s had to leave Team India sponsorship in 2023.
The situation was so bad for Byju’s that the BCCI had to approach NCLT (National Company Law Appellate Tribunal) to recover INR 158 crore from the company, as they were unable to fulfil the terms of the deal.