Harsh Jain teases new Dream11 app for end-December after gaming ban

Harsh Jain, co-founder of Dream11, has said a rebuilt version of the app will launch at the end of December 2026. In a post on X, reported on 6 November 2026, he wrote that the new app is launching at the end of December, "by sports fans, for sports fans". He did not say what the app will offer. Dream11 was India's biggest real-money fantasy sports platform until the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 banned online games played for money. Since then its parent, Dream Sports, has tried free fan-engagement products and shut several other ventures.

Dream11 was one of India's best-known start-ups, built almost entirely on paid fantasy contests, where users pay an entry fee to pick teams of real players and win money based on how those players perform. The 2025 law ended that model overnight for the whole industry. How Dream11 rebuilds is being watched as a test of whether a large consumer app can survive the loss of its main source of revenue.

The teaser suggests a full relaunch rather than another add-on. A company that once earned from entry fees now has to find a different way to make money from the same sports fans: through advertising, subscriptions, sponsorships, or links to its other products such as the FanCode streaming service. Jain's description of an app built "by sports fans, for sports fans" points to community and fan content, but the company has not confirmed this.

For the wider start-up world, the story shows how regulation can reshape an industry. Dream Sports closing ventures such as Dream Money and Dream Play, while keeping FanCode and DreamStreet, shows a company narrowing its focus while it rebuilds its main brand.

Peepals timeline: The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 banned online real-money games, ending Dream11's paid contests. Dream11 then launched the free Watch Along product, with a reported goal of 50 million monthly users during the IPL, and Dream Sports said it had "moved on from gaming". The group shut Dream Money, FanCode's merchandise arm and Dream Play. On 6 November 2026, Harsh Jain's post was reported, promising a new Dream11 app by the end of December.

Short-term: Existing Dream11 users and investors will look for details on what the new app offers and how it will make money.

Long-term: If the relaunch finds a profitable model without paid contests, it could guide other gaming companies hit by the ban; if not, Dream Sports may lean more on FanCode and its other businesses.

Who is affected: Dream11's users, Dream Sports employees and investors, cricket boards and leagues that partner with fantasy platforms, advertisers, and other online gaming companies.

What to watch next: the new Dream11 app's launch at the end of December 2026 and the announcement of its features.

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