Harbhajan Singh has come under fire from ex-teammate S Sreesanth over a recent advertisement, which appears to reference the infamous IPL slapgate incident from 2008.

What is the ad about?

In the ad for a popular e-commerce platform, Harbhajan plays a teacher, barking instructions at a group of adults in a classroom while demonstrating how to fix faulty home appliances—using a firm slap.

The commercial appears to allude to Sreesanth when Harbhajan approaches a ‘student’ wearing a headband reminiscent of the one Sreesanth used during his playing days. Irritated, Harbhajan addresses him as “Shreeman,” emphasising “Shree,” the cricketer’s nickname.

“I'll show you how it's done,” Bhajji says before slapping the fridge. His attempt fails, leaving him embarrassed, while the ad concludes with the line: “Son, faulty appliances can't be fixed with a slap.”

‘Slapgate’ incident

The original incident occurred after an IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab, when Harbhajan slapped Sreesanth on the field. Though footage of the incident was only recently released, it showed Sreesanth in tears while teammates tried to console him.

Over the years, the two cricketers appeared to have reconciled, often featuring together at promotional events and portraying a friendly relationship. However, Sreesanth has now voiced his displeasure over the latest advertisement.

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Sreesanth’s reaction

Sharing his thoughts on Instagram, Sreesanth wrote:

"In almost every podcast and interview you have done, you have repeatedly said that you regret that incident, that if there is one thing you could change in your life, it would be that, and that you want to move on from it.

And yet, you go ahead and do an advertisement built on the very same line—fully knowing how derogatory it is, what it implies, and what it reopens—purely for monetary gain.

This is not a lapse. This is a conscious choice. Your actions completely contradict everything you claim in interviews. If the regret you speak about were genuine, this ad would never have been done. Extremely disappointed."