Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni described his side's bowling performance in their seven-wicket defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders as one of the worst in the Indian Premier League while admitting that they were outplayed by their opposition.
"It is disappointing to lose the match. We had (enough) runs on the board (to defend) but they (Kolkata) had some brilliant batting and on the other hand one of the worst bowling performance in the IPL," Dhoni, who was clearly not happy with the effort of his bowlers, said after the match.
"Kolkata batted really well. They outplayed us more than anything else. When you have to chase nearly 190 you need good effort from some of the boys. That was what they did," he added.
Chennai play Kings XI Punjab on Wednesday in their last match and Dhoni said he expects his bowlers to do well as they need to win to make sure they make it to the semifinals.
"Overall, we need to win the last game. We are a good side and hopefully when we have enough runs to defend, our bowlers will bowl a lot better (than today)," he said.
Dhoni, however, would not think that his side would be under severe pressure to win their last match.
"Last year, we were in the same situation, we needed to win our last match to reach the semifinals. So we are in the same situation as last year. It is about how you raise your bar of achievement when needed," he said.
Kolkata captain Brendon McCullum was pleased to win the match though they have been out of contention for a semifinal berth much earlier.
"We are feeling a lot better with the win. For the last three-four weeks we have been trying hard. We have been backing ourselves to do better. We had been finding it hard to do it but we are pleased to win today," said McCullum who gave a flying start to their run chase with a 48-ball 81.
Man-of-the-match Brad Hodge said, "We are really happy as we have a win on board for a change. We have been trying hard as possibly as we can. It has been hard.
"I am delighted for the boys and for SRK (Shah Rukh Khan) back home (in India). Hopefully, he (Shah Rukh) must be cheering for the team there," said Hodge, who cracked an unbeaten 44-ball 71 to take his side home.
