Coca-Cola in talks to acquire minority stake in Mahesh Bhupathi's IPTL

NEW DELHI: Soda maker Coca-Cola is in talks to pick up minority stake in the Mahesh Bhupathi-promoted International Premier Tennis League ( IPTL), two people aware of the development said. " Coke is looking for a long-term association with a sports property as that would help the sugary drinks maker draw synergies with healthy lifestyles," one of the persons mentioned above said.

Rival PepsiCo is title sponsor of the popular cricket league IPL T20.

Coke is already title sponsor of the tennis tournament while Qatar Airways is the presenting sponsor. But unlike cricket, tennis doesn't have a mass following in the country.

The just concluded IPTL saw several big names in tennis either playing or visiting the country, including Roger Federer, Boris Becker and Stefi Graf.

Becker also visited the Coca-Cola office in Gurgaon to talk to and engage with employees. A Coca-Cola spokesperson declined comment on the development. Bhupathi too declined to respond to messages.