Gaming startup Dream11 strikes gold as the official partner of IPL

• BCCI has announced Dream11 as the official partner for the Indian Premier League.
  
• Dream11 will also take over IPL’s official fantasy game.
  
• The startup which is on the brink of becoming India’s first gaming unicorn has 51 million users currently.

The Indian Premier League is just around the corner and Indian gaming startup Dream11 has hit the ball out of the park. The Board of Control for Cricket in India has announced Dream11 as the official partner for the IPL.

In a four-year exclusive contract, Dream11 will also take over the official fantasy game of IPL.

Dream11 has IPL to thank for, for increasing its users over the years. The startup has grown from 300,000 users in 2004 to 51 million users today. Just during last year’s IPL, the gaming startup gained over 20 million users, Bhavit Sheth, COO and co-founder of Dream11 told Business Insider.

Now, with the official partnership the numbers are only set to grow.

“Dream11 is deeply integrating with the IPL, which is set to grow from its 1.4 billion TV impressions and 200 million online viewers in 2018, to achieve our goal of growing from 51 million users to 100 million users in 2019,” said Harsh Jain, CEO and co-founder of Dream11.

The startup which is on the brink of becoming India’s first gaming unicorn has been around for 11 years, although it saw its popularity reach the peak with last year’s IPL. The startup also brought on board former Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni to be its brand ambassador.

According to the 2019 IFSG - KPMG report, fantasy cricket is the most widely played (71% respondents) online fantasy sports game and the primary motivation (72% respondents) for playing fantasy sports is fun and excitement.

See Also:
Brands can no longer ignore Indian women during the country's most popular sporting event
It’s Virat Kohli Vs MS Dhoni in the Indian e-gaming space