BCCI Advisory for WPL Bans Collaboration with Crypto Entities

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has published a ‘Commercial Workbook’, a 68-page advisory which expressly restricts cricket franchises in the Women’s Premiere League (WPL) to work alongside companies and entities that deal with cryptocurrencies, tobacco, betting, gambling and real money. The franchises were asked to submit copies of all the agreements 10 days before the start of the 1st WPL Season. Franchises not adhering to the mandate of the BCCI would be subject to punitive action as per the Workbook (Section 6 of the Operational Rules).

Furthermore, disciplinary actions will be taken for violation of clothing and equipment regulations. However, an exception was given for having commercial agreements with fantasy leagues. A similar ban was imposed in the 2022 Indian Premiere League (IPL) as well. Before this ban was imposed, IPL partnered with CoinSwitch and CoinDCX to promote cryptocurrency in India. However, due to the tax implications concerning cryptocurrency transactions, challenges in trading have increased, and sponsorship deals were noted to have become less stable.