Sports
Dream11.com becomes Otago Volts’ principal sponsor
BANGALORE: Fantasy cricket game Dream11.com today announced its tie-up with New Zealand Cricket to be the principal sponsor of its Champions League T20 team, Otago Volts.
Otago Volts stars seven players with international experience, four of whom were part of the New Zealand Champions Trophy runners-up squad, including Brendon McCullum. Otago Volts also boasts of its overseas import, England‘s all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas.
Commenting on the tie-up, Dream11 Gaming founder and CMD Harsh Jain said, “We at Dream11 are excited at being the first website to sponsor a cricket team at an international tournament. The New Zealand national squad has shown tremendous form in reaching the finals of the Champions Trophy and four key members from the national squad, Brendon McCullum, Ian Butler, Aaron Redmond and Neil Broom will be playing for the Otago Volts.”
Sports
After Virat Kohli’s exit, One8 Commune Bengaluru shuts down
Outlet near Chinnaswamy closes amid rent row, compliance issues mount
BENGALURU: The One8 Commune outlet near M. Chinnaswamy Stadium has shut down following a court order, bringing a turbulent chapter for the high-profile dining destination to a close.
The immediate trigger was a legal dispute over unpaid dues. The outlet, operated by Trio Hills Hospitality, had reportedly defaulted on rent payments for nearly six months. Including maintenance charges and revenue share commitments, the outstanding amount is said to have crossed Rs 2 crore. A Bengaluru civil court subsequently directed the closure of the premises until all financial obligations are cleared.
The shutdown comes months after Virat Kohli, whose brand name lent the outlet its identity, had already distanced himself from the Bengaluru franchise. According to reports, concerns around repeated compliance-related issues prompted his team to withdraw the association. The removal of the One8 branding is believed to have impacted footfall, further straining the business.
The outlet had also faced regulatory scrutiny over the years. In 2024, authorities booked the establishment for operating beyond the 1:00 am curfew. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike had issued notices over missing fire safety clearances, while an FIR was filed for violating tobacco regulations by not providing a designated smoking zone under applicable laws.
In response to the closure, the brand maintained that the issue stemmed from building-level compliance responsibilities linked to the property owner rather than operational lapses on its part. It also denied that financial default was the primary reason, reiterating that customer safety remained a priority.
For now, the shutters remain down. While a reopening is theoretically possible if disputes are resolved, the absence of Kohli’s brand association makes a return under the One8 banner increasingly unlikely.
