Completing a phase-out of its aging cricket brand ambassadors, soft drinks major has dropped master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, whose long-standing contract with the company expired in May.The dropping of Tendulkar comes on the backdrop of Pepsi axing the other two members of the Indian batting trioka -- Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly - earlier this year.Industry sources said Pepsi did not renew the contract with Tendulkar, who has been their brand ambassador since the 90s, following its decision to focus on younger cricketers.
Tendulkar continues to be popular among advertisers, and endorses several brands such as health drink Boost, Canon, Adidas, Visa, Britannia, and Aviva. But, Pepsi has decided to end its innings with Sachin Tendulkar.
As per market estimates, Tendulkar with a fee ranging between Rs 3-4 crore for endorsement per brand annually has been the most highly paid cricketer of his generation. So, he still is the man of all seasons.
