Apollo Tyres was officially named the Indian cricket team’s new jersey sponsor on Tuesday. The Indian team is currently without a sponsor in the ongoing men’s Asia Cup in the UAE after the BCCI‘s deal with online gaming company Dream11 was cut short days after the enactment of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill.
India’s Kuldeep Yadav and teammates celebrate the wicket of Pakistan’s Hasan Nawaz during their match in the Asia Cup 2025(Surjeet Yadav)
The announcement marked Apollo Tyres’ first-ever foray into Indian cricket.
The agreement, which will conclude in March 2028, spans two and a half years. According to the deal, the Apollo Tyres logo will be featured on the jerseys of the Indian men’s and women’s national teams across all formats.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said: “The arrival of Apollo Tyres as our new sponsor is a testament to the hard work and consistent performance of our teams. We are excited about this being Apollo’s first major sponsorship in India cricket, which speaks volumes about the sport’s unparalleled reach and influence. This is more than a commercial agreement; it’s a partnership between two institutions that have earned the trust and respect of millions.”
According to a report in news agency PTI, Apollo Tyres signed a deal valued at INR 579 crore, significantly higher than the INR 358 crore agreement with Dream 11 for the same duration. The deal covers 121 bilateral games and 21 ICC games.
Meanwhile, Cricbuzz reported that the Indian multinational tyre manufacturing company, who has its headquarters in Gurugram, outbid Canva and JK Cements to bag the contract. The latter to placed bids of INR 544 crore and INR 477 crore respectively.
On September 2, the BCCI had invited bids for the Indian team’s jersey sponsorship rights after Dream11 pulled out due to the ‘Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025’, which states that “no person shall offer any, aid, abet, induce, indulge, engage in offering online money gaming services nor shall involve in any advertisement which directly or indirectly promotes any person to play any online money game”.
The Indian board barred companies dealing in real money gaming and cryptocurrency from the process due to a government ban on such entities. Athleisure and sportswear manufacturers, banking, financial companies, non-alcoholic cold beverages, fans, mixer grinders, safety locks and insurance companies were also not eligible.
Apollo Tyres’ first international mileage will be in the two-match home Test series against the West Indies, which begins on October 2. The new sponsor’s logo will also be on display during India A’s three-match ODI series in Kanpur against Australia A.