Govt Orders To Ban Alcohol & Tobacco Ads In IPL

In a big move, The Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare urged the board of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to ban all forms of tobacco, alcohol, and surrogacy ads within stadium premises as well as television advertisements during the match telecast.

It also asked the IPL board to ban the sale of tobacco and alcohol products in all affiliated leagues and events of the tournaments. It was further asked to urge players and commentators not to promote products that are directly or indirectly linked to alcohol brands.

In its official statement, the ministry wrote, “India is experiencing a significant burden of Non Communicable diseases- Cardiovascular diseases, Cancer, Chronic Lung Disease, Diabetes, Hypertension etc. which account for more than 70% of deaths annually.”

“This year the IPL Season starts on 22 March 2025. The Indian Premier League (IPL) being India’s most viewed sports event, direct or indirect promotion of tobacco/alcohol on any platform linked to sports sends a contradictory message to the public about health and fitness,” the note further added.

Notably, tobacco and alcohol brands use proxy advertising strategies during the telecast of cricket matches. Even IPL gets substantial revenue from these ads. With the government ordering to ban such ads, IPL would be losing one of the most advertising revenues.