Bowling towards end did us in: Dhoni

Durban:

Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni blamed their narrow nine-run defeat against Delhi Daredevils on poor bowling in the death overs here on Thursday.

Delhi batsman AB Devillers struck a magnificent century, scoring bulk of the runs towards the end, to help his side set a challenging 190-run traget for Chennai.

"Matthew (Hayden) brought us in the game with his splenid innings. But I think the death bowling was the difference. A score of 150-160 was gettable.

"I think they scored 20-30 extras runs which can prove a lot in a Twenty20 game. AB Devilliers batted brillinatly," Dhoni said after the match.

The winning captain Virender Sehwag was all praise for his batsmen, who he says showed the world the kind of talent his side is possessing.

"Our batsmen showed how good this side is. Despite losing two early wickets, we posted a big score on the board," he said.

"I knew they (Chennai) are good in batting, so I told my bowlers to put the ball in the right areas," Sehwag added.

De Villiers, adjudged man of the match for his splendid 54-ball 105, said it was fun batting on a batsman friendly pitch.

"It was a good pitch to bat on. I enjoyed the bounce... It was nice to come down and bat. I need to keep up the form," he said.