MS Dhoni rued the execution of his bowlers after Chennai Super Kings (CSK) suffered a narrow four-wicket defeat at the hands of Mumbai Indians (MI) in Delhi on Saturday (May 1).

CSK posted a massive total of 218/4 on the board after being asked to bat first, but MI overhauled the target on the last delivery thanks to Kieron Pollard’s breathtaking 87 not out off 34 balls.

"It was a brilliant wicket. The difference was the execution. Not being too tough on bowlers, we dropped catches at crucial intervals. The bowlers would execute better and learn from this. If you look at how it went, we were very off target when it came to execution. It is important to do that. The wicket was easy to hit," Dhoni said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

"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 of where we are in the points table, we take one game at a time. We hardly ever focus on where we are standing at the table. That has been our good point along the way," he added.

In a high-scoring affair, all-rounder Sam Curran returned with impressive figures for CSK, claiming 3 wickets by conceding 34 runs in his four overs.

Earlier, Ambati Rayudu’s blitzkrieg took the defending champions by storm as he slammed 72* off 27 deliveries (4 fours and 7 sixes) to propel CSK to a gigantic total. Moeen Ali (58 off 36 balls) and Faf du Plessis (50 off 28 balls) also made significant contributions with the bat.

Chennai Super Kings will take on Rajasthan Royals in their next match on Wednesday (May 5).

(With ANI inputs)