The online fantasy gaming platform won the rights after bidding INR 222 crore ($29.7m approx.) and will replace Chinese mobile phone manufacturer Vivo, who withdrew its sponsorship in response to the border dispute between India and China.
Vivo had sponsored the leading Twenty20 cricket league since 2016, with its contract running until 2022 but it’s not yet clear whether Dream11 will remain as title sponsor beyond this year’s edition, which is to take place in the UAE from 19 September.
IPL chairman Brijesh Patel, said: “Dream11 as a fantasy sports brand will only grow the engagement of the IPL with its fans. As a digital brand it will give them leverage to create exciting online engagement for fans sitting at home and watching the matches. We look forward to delivering great value to Dream11.”
Dream11 co-founder and CEO Harsh Jain, added: “Being a proud homegrown Indian brand that is made in India, by Indians and exclusively for Indian sports fans, we would like to thank the BCCI for giving us an opportunity to become the title sponsor of IPL, which in our opinion is the world’s greatest sports property.”
Dream11 has been the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) official partner of the IPL since 2018 and made its debut as a title sponsor last year, partnering with New Zealand’s 2019/20 Super Smash T20 league.
In 2019, the fantasy sports site became the first Indian gaming company to enter the ‘unicorn club’, after being valued at more than $1bn.
