The Boxing Day Test is finally underway, as Team India takes on South Africa at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. Ahead of the red-ball assignment, the Indian team engaged in headshot sessions with the new-look jersey. However, the internet didn’t seem to be delighted about their favourite players donning the whites.
In fact, a lot of users on ‘X’ expressed their disappointment of Dream11’s logo being highlighted on the jersey. Notably, Dream11, the fantasy sports app, is the title sponsor for the Indian cricket team. The fans opined that the word ‘INDIA’ should be relevant and visible on the jersey more than the sponsor logo.
Some fans were furious to see money being prioritized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Additionally, a few were seen saying that the Dream11 is playing against the Proteas on a Boxing Day Test, which is one of the most-anticipated clashes in the international cricketing calendar.
It is worth mentioning that a Boxing Day Test match holds a great degree of importance in cricket, as fans are delighted with a five-day classic clash. And thus, putting sponsor’s logo upright without mentioning the country the players represent, fans were unhappy about Dream11’s logo placement as Rohit Sharma & Co. donned the Whites.
Speaking more about the Dream11 jersey saga, there have been multiple occasions of people criticizing the platform for getting onboarded as the title sponsor. Those who consider fantasy online gaming to be addictive in nature said that such brands should be banned from sponsoring the team that represents a country.
Now, coming back to the Dream11 backlash, let us have a look at how X reacted to BCCI:
Didn't know Virat Kohli played for Dream11 and not India. #INDvsSA #ViratKohli #IndianCricketTeam pic.twitter.com/dNIcOl90vg
— Rishabh Beniwal (@RishabhBeniwal) December 26, 2023
When you see sponsors like Dream11 being highlighted on the jersey of no.1 Test team, you are sure that BCCI is prioritizing money over anything else.#BCCI #BoxingDay #INDvsSA pic.twitter.com/z2mJX7AUj9
— चिरकुट ज़िंदगी (@Chirayu_Jain26) December 26, 2023
South Africa v Dream 11 in Centurion on Boxing Day. Doesn't get better than that. #SAvsIND pic.twitter.com/iU4pstjYRs
— Vignesh Bharadwaj (@VBharadwaj31) December 26, 2023
It's a bit sad to see Dream XI dominate on India white's. #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/FKhiYJi60o
— Koustav Sengupta (@KoustavOfficial) December 26, 2023
Turning the Dream11 logo from red to blue doesn't make any difference. It still hogs the limelight when you look at the jersey from the front #IndvSA #Cricket
— Vijeet Rathi (@vijeet_rathi) December 26, 2023
Talking about India tour of South Africa, betting brands like Betway are also the on-ground sponsors. However, betting is completely legal in the rainbow nation, and thus, nothing is against the laws. But the catch is that a lot of Indian viewers also get attracted to Betway. This lures the users to place bets illegally, who eventually might end up getting addicted.
It is to be clarified that no comparison can be made between Dream11 and Betway. This is because both the platforms are completely different, despite falling under ‘online gaming’ category.