A disappointed Delhi Capitals skipper Shreyas Iyer said bowling at the death overs is a major concern for his team which was thoroughly outplayed by Mumbai Indians in a return leg IPL clash here Thursday.
The hosts, who were on a roll with a hattrick of victories, suffered a 40-run defeat against Mumbai Indians after being restricted to 128 for nine while chasing 169 here.
It was Delhi's third loss out of the four matches that the hosts played at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium this season.
"It is important for us to win the home games. Especially on these wickets. We lost the toss as well and they outplayed us in all three departments. Credit to them," Iyer said.
"A lot of concern as far as the death overs were concerned. It wasn't easy to bat in the second innings. The ball was stopping. It was difficult for the new batters. The last three overs were game changing," he added, referring to the 51 runs that the hosts conceded in the last three overs.
Iyer said they gave away 20 runs more after being asked to bowl first on this wicket.
"We would have chased. That is what we had on our minds. We have been chasing in all our away games as well. We gave away 20 runs more on this wicket," he said.
Asked if Delhi have been training on similar wickets, Iyer said: "We practice at the nets and those wickets are also slow. When you come here, it is totally different."
"We then knew we had the spinners, who did the job perfectly. The toss was something where I had made up my mind. Even in the last ODI against Australia we found it tough to chase. I knew that if we got 140-150, we had the bowlers to keep us in the game."
"He has a good attitude and is clear with what he wants to do. They had left handers and Rahul was confident to bowl to left handers, which is what he told me before the innings."
"The top three remains the same and numbers four, five and six depends on the situation and the venue, which is something we've conveyed to the boys as well."
"I am using my brain well, reading the wicket well in this season. I have five more games to go and then the play-offs, and I hope to keep going like this through the season."