IPL 2021: CSK skipper Dhoni blames dropped catches, bowling for defeat to MI

CSK skipper MS Dhoni (Source: Twitter)

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni blamed dropped catches and his bowlers' poor execution against Mumbai Indians after his side lost a last-ball thriller by four wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Saturday night.

"It was a brilliant wicket. The difference was the execution. Not being too tough on bowlers, we dropped catches at crucial stages. The bowlers would execute better and learn from this [defeat]," said Dhoni after the match.

"If you look how it went -- we were very off target when it came to execution. It is important to execute well. The wicket was easy to hit," he added.

Dhoni, however, said that winning and losing go hand in hand in a tournament like IPL.

"In a tournament like this, you will win and lose a few close games. When you are under the pump, you learn a lot. Irrespective where we are in the points table, we take one game at a time. We hardly ever focus where we are standing on the table. That has been our good point along the way."

Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians (MI) consolidated themselves in fourth position by moving to eight points from six although their net run rate (NRR) fell by a small fraction after Saturday night's win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League.

CSK are still on top with 10 points and although their net run rate (NRR) fell from +1.475 to +1.263 after the loss to MI, it is still much better than second-placed Delhi Capitals' (10 points and +0.466 NRR) and third-placed Royal Challengers Bangalore's (10 points and -0.171 NRR).