Mumbai, Apr 28 (IANS): India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said Tuesday that allegations of match-fixing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) are serious and should be handled carefully.
"Match-fixing is the worst allegation against a cricketer... anyone involved should be punished. Cricket should be clean," said Dhoni, who led the Chennai Super Kings to their maiden triumph in the third IPL tournament here Sunday.
"If something has happened, the cricketer should be punished harshly. But no step should be taken against a cricketer if he has not done anything. It can hurt him big time," Dhoni was quoted as saying by NDTV.
Dhoni hoped that all the controversies surrounding cricket's multi-billion dollar Twenty20 league would be sorted out soon.
"Lalit (Modi) was part of it for three seasons... there were quite a few allegations... it's up to the authorities to see what has happened. They will come up with something that's good for everyone... before the next IPL, we have one year, let's hope for the best," he said.
Asked if the IPL would survive the controversy, Dhoni said: "Yes. IPL as a brand can survive on its own. But you have to come up with some innovative ideas every time to make it better. No individual, but few brains will work together to pull off sensational ideas."
On owner N.Srinivasan's belief in 'vaastu shastra', Dhoni said: "Srinivasan's vaastu has been good... nothing bad. Every franchise is doing little things. It is subtle... most cricketers are superstitious. No wild predictions like made in 2007."
Dhoni said his meeting with the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala was a "very special' moment".
"May be, because of Dalai Lama's blessings we won the finals," he said.
On whether his boys are tired before the World Twenty20 that starts later this week, Dhoni said: "If we go and do well we would say IPL helped or would say IPL was tiring for us."
Dhoni was confident that the injured, out-of-form Yuvraj Singh will regain confidence in time for the tournament. "Cricket is a game. You will be low on confidence more than two times a season. A little nervousness is good. Yuvraj loves challenges, he is a player for the big stage."
The India skipper said he was counting on his IPL team mate Murali Vijay, last-minute replacement for opener Virendra Sehwag, to come good in the West Indies
"Will miss Sehwag... hoping Murali Vijay does not let us miss Sehwag", said Dhoni.