Pepsi has put the speculation to rest by confirming that its association with the Indian Premier League will last the distance, "but its continued allegiance with the league, mired in controversies over corruption and matchfixing cases, comes with a few strings attached," according to Vijay Tagore of the MUMBAI MIRROR. The company wants the IPL to "address the issues of ethics and spirit of the game." The title sponsors of the league want the IPL to properly investigate a corruption-related issue "which is linked from players to team owners." Pepsi bagged the title sponsorship last year for a whopping Rs 400 crore ($64M) for five years, double the amount Indian real-estate company DLF "was paying for a similar branding" for the first five years of the Twenty20 tournament. A Pepsi India spokesperson said, "Our investment in IPL remains a multi-year strategic initiative. We are committed to the spirit of fair play and ethical conduct in sport and hope that issues surrounding IPL are adequately addressed." A top IPL official said that talks with Pepsi "have taken place and the lead sponsor is not going anywhere" (MUMBAI MIRROR, 11/26).
