McDowell's No. 1 Platinum commercial shows Dhoni ridiculing 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, coming in the same price band. Since liquor brands are not allowed to advertise in India, the surrogate commercials are for McDowell's No. 1 Platinum soda and Royal Stag cricket gear, respectively. Harbhajan's lawyers have sent the legal notice to top UB Group officials including its owner Vijay Mallya on Saturday (July 16), stating that the McDowell's No. 1 Platinum commercial makes a mockery of Harbhajan, his family and the Sikh community.
