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Email trail reveals Shikhar Dhawan waited for BCCI exit before endorsing 1xBet, says ED
Agency cites March 2024 email between 1xBet and Dhawan’s firm to allege ex-cricketers knowingly promoted banned betting platform; assets worth ₹11.14 crore of Dhawan and Raina attached under PMLA probe.
Meanwhile, Hyderabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar has publicly criticised the two cricketers, questioning their responsibility as public figures.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has accused former Indian cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina of knowingly endorsing the banned betting platform 1xBet, despite being aware that such associations violated their BCCI contracts. The agency has attached their assets worth ₹11.14 crore as part of its money laundering probe linked to illegal offshore betting networks.
An email trail reviewed by the ED reportedly shows that 1xBet’s team contacted Dhawan’s company, Da One Group, soon after the BCCI released its 2024 central contract list.
“We are glad that the BCCI list is out and Shikhar Dhawan is not there, which means we can continue our discussion regarding sponsoring him,” read an email from the betting app’s representatives to the CEO of Dhawan’s firm on 13 March 2024.
According to the ED, this correspondence indicates Dhawan’s awareness that BCCI barred active players from engaging with betting-related brands. The agency said both Dhawan and Raina “consciously and deliberately” entered into endorsement deals with 1xBet after their formal association with the BCCI ended to avoid immediate sanctions.
Earlier this week, the ED attached Raina’s ₹6.64 crore investment in ICICI Prudential mutual funds and Dhawan’s ₹4.45 crore immovable property in Delhi’s Tilak Nagar.
The provisional attachment order reportedly details how the two cricketers were onboarded by the betting platform through foreign intermediaries. Raina reportedly received funds from Hong Kong-based Next Generation IT Solutions, Cyprus-based Gabumas Limited, and Dubai’s Vidator Digital DMCC- all linked to 1xBet’s operations. Of the ₹6.64 crore paid to him between 2022 and 2024, around ₹4.13 crore went to his Indian firm, while the rest was transferred to a Dubai account.
Dhawan, on the other hand, signed endorsement contracts with Vidator Digital DMCC (Dubai) and One Digital Entertainment Pte (Singapore) through his company Da One Venture Marketing Management, receiving around ₹4.5 crore between March and April 2024.
The ED reportedly alleged that these deals were strategically timed. “As per his own admission, he consciously waited for the release of the BCCI contract list, and upon confirmation that his name no longer appeared in it, he proceeded to enter into an agreement for promotion of 1xBat, a surrogate of 1xBet,” the agency noted.
As per media reports, the investigating officer further wrote, “This deliberate timing establishes that Shikhar Dhawan and his team were fully aware that active BCCI players are contractually prohibited from engaging in any betting or gambling-related endorsements.”
According to the ED, both cricketers’ promotional content lacked territorial restrictions, making it freely accessible in India, where betting is illegal. “By endorsing 1xBet and its surrogate brands, they helped increase the platform’s visibility and credibility in India,” the agency said, adding that the payments received “qualify as proceeds of crime” under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
Dhawan retired from all forms of cricket in August 2024, while Raina retired from international cricket in August 2020 and from the IPL in September 2022.
“What kind of celebrities are these people?"
Meanwhile, Hyderabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar has publicly criticised the two cricketers, questioning their responsibility as public figures.
“What kind of celebrities are these people? Due to addiction to the betting epidemic, countless young people are destroying their lives… Aren’t these individuals responsible, having promoted the betting demon tearing society apart?” he posted on X.
Sajjanar, known for his campaign against online betting apps, has long advocated stricter accountability for celebrities endorsing such platforms. During his previous tenure as MD of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation, his efforts led to action against several influencers and celebrities for promoting gambling and betting brands.
#SayNoToBettingApps @Cyberdost @AmitShah @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/zb1HYbXaKP
— V.C. Sajjanar, IPS (@SajjanarVC) March 15, 2025
The ED’s ongoing investigation, based on multiple FIRs filed by state police agencies, focuses on illegal offshore betting platforms, including 1xBet, 1xBat, and 1xBat Sporting Lines, which continue to target Indian audiences through surrogate advertising and celebrity-led campaigns.
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