There's fresh trouble brewing within team India over ads featuring Harbhajan Singh and skipper MS Dhoni.

It has been reported that a notice was sent to Vijay Mallya's UB Spirits over a commercial for McDowell's No. 1 Platinum featuring Dhoni - which the notice claims insults the spinner and Sikhs around the world.

The notice was sent by Avtar Kaur, Bhajji's mother to project that it's not about Bhajji vs Dhoni, but Bhajji's family vs UB Group.

Dhoni's ad, according to Mrs Kaur's reperesentatives, mocks Harbhajan's role in a commercial for rival Pernod Ricard's Royal Stag. McDowell's No. 1 Platinum and Royal Stag are competing whiskey brands. The ads have been masked as promotional material for soda as liquor advertising is banned in India.

Harbhajan and Dhoni were being managed by same agents last year for a few months — Rhiti Sports and Mindscapes One venture. The marketing president of that company, Shangeet Shirodkar, quit from the partnership only a few months after it was forged, and then took his close friend Harbhajan Singh to start his own company.

"Harbhajan and Dhoni are still the best of friends. the notice has not been issued by Bhajji's mother, not Harbhajan. The ad has hurt Bhajji, his family and the Sikh community's feelings," Shangeet said.

"You can't pit two cricketers against each other - they have played together for so many years and have won India the World Cup. We can't let someone take a dig and go unpunished," he added.

The notice has been issued to UB executive vice chairman SR Gupte, president & CFO Ravi Nedungadi, deputy president Harish Bhat and executive VP (Corporate Affairs) Nandini Verma. Bhajji's family want a compensation of Rs 1,00,000 towards the cost of the notice and immediate removal of ad and a public apology - to be carried by all of the leading newspapers.

The legal notice seeks an "unconditional public apology to Bhajji's family in all widely read newspapers as well as television channels prominently" and withdrawal of the commercial within three days of receiving it.

"My client is serving you with the instant notice to give you an opportunity to accept your mistake and make amends. Failing this, we will have no other alternative than to take appropriate legal action including that of filing proceedings for defamation, damages and all such civil as well as criminal actions," said the notice, signed by lawyer Shyam Dewani.