'If BCCI President endorses fantasy leagues, you can't expect players not to do it': Gambhir speaks out

Gautam Gambhir is known to not mince his words and the former Indian captain triggered a major debate over surrogate advertising and its rise in Indian sport.

While speaking to the Indian Express, east Delhi MP Gambhir came out against surrogate advertising and said that if BCCI president Sourav Ganguly endorses a fantasy league then one can't expect players not to do it.

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"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," Gambhir said.

He added that most of IPL's endorsements and sponsorships come from fantasy league games and banning an entity like that would require a collective decision from the BCCI and not a state-level verdict.

The 2011 World Cup winner further added that he is personally against endorsing blogs or websites that promote online betting but laid the onus on the individual when it came to other athletes doing them.