Jacques Kallis praised Bangalore's bowling performance after they claimed a nine-wicket victory over the Mumbai Indians.

The South Africa all-rounder, who was named man of the match for his 69, shared an unbeaten 126-run partnership with Robin Uthappa (66 not out) to help their side coast past the 150 victory target with 11 balls to spare.

However, Kallis believes the win was set up by the bowlers, including IPL debutant Dillon du Preez after his three wickets early on were key to restricting Mumbai to 149 for four.

"I think credit has got to be given to our bowlers," he said.

"To restrict them to 149 on that wicket was a really great effort.

Kallis, Uthappa guide Bangalore to victory

"We knew then that we had to be a little bit positive up front with the new ball and not lose too many wickets and then get someone to bat through with the rest batting around him. So I think we really played a good game. I don't think they bowled badly, I just think we played a good game."

Captain Anil Kumble also felt that Du Preez's spell was key.

He said: "The way he bowled was fantastic. Those three wickets put the pressure on Mumbai.

"Getting Sachin (Tendulkar) early and then (JP) Duminy, who has been their key player batting through the innings, was crucial, so he started off brilliantly. But all the bowlers were brilliant to restrict them to 149."

And Kumble, who has stepped in as skipper after Kevin Pietersen returned to England for Test duty, is hoping his side can continue building on the momentum which has now seen them win three out of three games.

Top Performer: Jacques Kallis

He added: "Probably the Kolkata match that we won in Durban gave us the momentum after we had lost four in a row.

"I think we are getting to a settled team now. This probably was a perfect game for us, to beat Mumbai with nine wickets in hand was critical and we'd like to carry this momentum forward."

Mumbai captain Tendulkar felt his batsmen had been disappointing overall, despite half-centuries from Sanath Jayasuriya (52) and Dwayne Bravo (50 not out).

He said: "I thought 150 was a fighting total, but just not enough. If they batted well, they were always going to get there. I just felt it probably wasn't our day.

Those missed chances

"We missed a couple of catches and a couple of close run-outs as well. All the calls went their way and they played some good cricket."

The Indians have relied heavily on the tournament's leading wicket-taker Lasith Malinga to strike early in their previous games and after he went for 17 runs in his opening over, it looked likely that they would face a tough day.