Former India skipper Mohammad Azharuddin has blasted Rising Pune Supergiants for the unceremonious sacking of Mahendra Singh Dhoni as their skipper for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League.

After a dismal inaugural season in the IPL where they finished second last in the league, the Pune-based franchise replaced Dhoni with Australia skipper Steven Smith. However, Azharuddin is not impressed with the way the team treated Dhoni and called the decision ‘disgraceful’.

“The decision and manner of execution was third-rate and disgraceful. Dhoni has been a jewel in Indian cricket, he has won almost everything in the 8-9 years of his captaincy and even though the franchise can say they run the team with their own money, shouldn’t they have seen Dhoni’s stature and credibility before first stripping him of captaincy and then not even letting Dhoni the grace? I feel angry and sad as a former cricketer,” Azhar told Aaj Tak.

Azhar further said the two-time IPL-winning captain could have done little when his teammates were playing so badly.

“What will a captain do when the team doesn’t play well? If Dhoni wasn’t a good and an inspirational captain would he have won two IPL titles (leading Chennai Super Kings)? Belittling Indian sporting legends like Dhoni through corporate board rooms is stooping down to the lowest,” Azhar opined.

The former player was so angry that he urged the BCCI to have a look into the whole matter.

“If they had wanted to change the captaincy they should have gone to Dhoni and given him the grace to quit on his own and tell the world it was his own decision. That would have given him an honourable exit but when you keep thinking like a businessman, you actually don’t think about the sportsman. I feel the BCCI should not let this go and should deal with it,” Azhar concluded.