The European Cricket Network (ECN) has paused its upcoming events after Dream 11 pulled its sponsorship due to the Indian government's ban on online gambling after the Indian government passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill on Thursday.
The ECN first gained wide attention after the inaugural European Cricket League tournament in 2019, during which Romanian cricket Pavel Florin became something of a cult figure after footage of his unorthodox bowling action went viral.
Max O'Dowd at the first European Cricket League tournament (European Cricket Network)
The events began to grow over the following years, with the European Cricket Series featuring domestic teams from across Europe and international T10 matches including a European Championship tournament. Most events featured the T10 format but they also ran T20I bilateral series across the continent.
Taking advantage of sunnier climates in parts of Europe, they extended the European season to a 12 month long one.
From the outset, Dream 11 was a major sponsor of the organisation, with the company's fantasy cricket games front and centre on ECN broadcasts. Whilst many were uncomfortable with gambling being such a big part of the league - there were many unfounded allegations of fixing - the sponsorship helped funnel money to cash strapped European associate members, with all host nations - 26 over the last six years - receiving a hosting fee. Estimates suggest that around £4 million has been distributed to associate members in Europe since 2019.
Dream 11's withdrawl as sponsor was first reported by Timothy Abraham on BBC Sport this past Friday. Speaking to Abraham ECN founder - and former German international - Daniel Weston described Dream 11's withdrawal as "devastating" and saying that Dream 11 had "provided unmatched financial support to help grow cricket, especially in Associate nations".
Whilst ECN events are the immediate victim of the ban, other impacts are likely to follow. Dream 11 is the main sponsor of the ICC's live streams of their pathway events and sponsors several lower level franchise leagues around the world. They are also the title sponsor of New Zealand's domestic T20 competition and - until yesterday - were the main shirt sponsor of the Indian national team.
Whilst some boards have other sources of revenue and will be able to recover from the loss of sponsorship, the impact on associate cricket - particularly in Europe - will be considerable, with many international and domestic events ceasing to be financially viable.
