IPL image has been maligned enough: Mahendra Singh Dhoni

New Delhi : India captain Mahendra Singh today stayed away from commenting on the sweeping changes Supreme Court appointed Lodha Commission has recommended on the functioning of the Indian cricket board.

“Lodha Commission has not given me the report. So you have to ask the BCCI about what they plan to do,” said Dhoni here on Monday. IPL and controversies go hand in hand but Dhoni defended the cash-rich league.

“Yes, it (IPL) has got its share of bad name but you have to look at the positives as well. It is a platform where you can identify the players on the domestic circuit, gauge their performance throughout the season.

It is also about how the young players handle pressure, you see youngsters embracing it. I think that is fantastic for Indian cricket. “Yes, money is a big factor. People talk about cricketers getting a lot of money. Yes, a lot of cricketers are getting a lot of money but at the same time, thousands and thousands of them are not.”

Dhoni feels 'different' about captaining a new team in the IPL for the first time in eight years and says he has not moved on from his days at the now suspended Chennai Super Kings. “I would be lying if I say I have moved on. That is the special part of being a human being. There is got to be an emotional connect after eight years (with CSK),” said Dhoni.

Usually calm and composed on the field, Dhoni got a tad emotional when asked about the team he led since the inception of the IPL. “If you want me to be politically correct, that is not how I am. After eight years of IPL, it feels very different to play for any other team. All of a sudden if you want me to say that I am very excited to play for a new team, don't give credit to CSK and the fans for the love and affection they have given us, it will be wrong.”

“But as a professional, I would like to thank the Pune team for taking me. Of course there will be added responsibility as captain but as a professional we are supposed to do the job with more than 100 hundred percent commitment. And that is what we will try to do,” Dhoni said. Sanjiv Goenka, owner of new IPL franchise Pune Supergiants, sharing the dais with Dhoni, was also asked about his thoughts on brand IPL taking a hit.

“I have been asked this before. I am not going to comment about the past. We take it as it comes. We are not thinking beyond two years. An opportunity came to be associated with IPL for two years and we took it,” said Goenka. Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions have replaced the suspended Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for the coming two seasons.