BCCI remains financially strong despite Dream 11 pullout, ICC revenue drops - Report
The Board of Control for Cricket in India remained financially strong, despite the exit of Dream 11 and a decrease in the International Cricket Council (ICC) share.
New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has managed to remain strong financially, despite the exit of main jersey sponsor Dream11 and a decrease in International Cricket Council (ICC) share.
The note submitted to the BCCI Apex Council and also accessed by Cricbuzz reveals that the board has made up for these setbacks by securing new commercial partnerships, including a jersey sponsorship deal with Adidas, along with a newly signed agreement with Apollo Tyres, which helped to reduce the loss left by departing sponsors.
"Notwithstanding the withdrawal of sponsors such as Dream11 and other entities affected by recent legislative changes, BCCI had successfully secured a new jersey sponsorship at a higher valuation for another two-and-a-half-year cycle," states the note, which was accessed by Cricbuzz.
Dream11 exited its Rs 358 crore sponsorship agreement after the Indian government passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025, which prohibited real-money gaming (RMG).
Former treasurer and current joint secretary Prabhtej Singh Bhatia presented the drafted budget for the financial year 2025-26 to the Apex Council. The total projected income of the BCCI for the financial year 2025-26 was Rs 8,963 crore.
The projection reflects a decline compared to the previous year, largely due to the shortfall in the board's share from the ICC. While the Apex Council’s note didn't reveal the exact percentage of the cut, the BCCI gets 38.5 per cent of the ICC’s total revenue. Despite all this, the estimated annual income has been pegged at Rs 1,500 crore, marking a massive increase from last year’s Rs 1,368 crore.
Significant rise in BCCI’s general fund
The Apex Council was also informed of a sharp increase in the BCCI’s general fund, which has grown from Rs 7,998 crore to Rs 11,346 crore. The budget projected a surplus of Rs 6,728 crore and also includes Rs 500 crore allocated for infrastructure-related subsidies.
The joint secretary further confirmed that enough provisions had been made for income tax obligations, which amounted to Rs 3,320 crore, contingencies of Rs 1,000 crore, and pending litigation costs of approximately Rs 160 crore.