Victorious at last in the Indian Premier League and headed to the West Indies to captain India in the T20 World Cup, Skipper MS Dhoni spoke exclusively to NDTV in his first television interview since IPL boss Lalit Modi's suspension. Talking about the controversies that the IPL has been mired in, Dhoni hoped that things would be sorted out in time for Season 4: "Lalit was part of it for three seasons...quite a few allegations...up to the authorities to see what has happened. They will come up with something that's good for everyone...before IPL we have one year, let's hope for the best," he said. But would IPL survive the controversy? Yes, said the Indian Skipper, "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." "Match fixing," Dhoni said, " is worse (sic) allegation against a cricketer...anyone involved should be punished cricket should be clean." When on all things controversial, what about the role vastu has played in CSK matches at the instance of owner N Srinivasan? Dhoni, who has reportedly been a little piqued about having to bow to stellar configurations when making cricketing decisions played defensive: "Srinivasan's vastu has been good...nothing bad. Every franchise is doing little things. It is subtle...most cricketers are superstitious. No wild predictions like was made in 2007." From IPL season 3, Dhoni counted meeting the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala as a "very special' moment. "May be because of Dalai Lama's blessings we won the finals. Of course, because of the way the team played," he said.
IPL as a brand can survive on its own: Dhoni
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