'If the BCCI president is doing it, you can't expect other players not to do it' - Gautam Gambhir on surrogate advertising

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir is known for being a very straight forward person who does not think twice while criticizing if he reckons something is not right. Lately, the southpaw has not hesitated from criticizing the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly for surrogate advertising.

Commenting on the same, the cricketer-turned-polictian mentioned that most of the sponsorship money in the Indian Premier League (IPL) comes from the fantasy gaming platforms. At the same time, the two-time World Cup winner also added that if the current BCCI President Sourav Ganguly is advertising these fantasy gaming platforms, then it is impossible to refrain other players from doing so. 

It has to come from the top: Gautam Gambhir

“If the BCCI president (Ganguly) is doing it, you can't expect other players not to do it. If he says that no one should be allowed to do it, I think everyone should follow that … It has to come from the top. Either we should ban this completely in India. It can't be statewise. And no one should be allowed to endorse that,” Gambhir said while speaking at an event with the Indian Express.

“In the IPL, most of the endorsements and sponsorships are from fantasy league games such as Dream 11. It should be a collective decision from the BCCI whether we should allow this to happen or not,” he added.

Over the years, the fantasy gaming platforms like Dream11, MPL and My 11 Circle have witnessed many eminent players like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant promote them mostly during India's international fixtures. These platforms have succeeded in creating millions of fans and users engagements. 

Meanwhile, India will begin their T20 World Cup 2022 preparations as they face the reigning T20 world champions Australia at Mohali on Tuesday, September 20. The Men in Blue will be led by Rohit Sharma and all eyes will be on batting megastar Virat Kohli's 72nd international century.