'Auckland fielded very well. We tried too hard and got into trouble. So there were some lessons to take there. It is good to make some mistakes and still win,' Kallis said after KKR won their opening match by just two runs.
'We knew the wicket was tough, so we tried and restricted them. In the IPL we lost one or two tight ones, so it is good to get a winning start here,' he added.
Auckland captain Gareth Hopkins said that his side would come back strongly in their second match.
'We thought the new ball was crucial to score against. Funny game in a sense, since both teams played the waiting game in the middle. We have a very experienced bowling attack and hope to bounce back tomorrow,' he said.
Man-of-the-Match Manvinder Bisla of KKR was happy that he had played his part in the win.
'Both teams were 20 runs or so short, I am pleased we finished on top. The plan was for me to attack and Kallis to bat through. Binga (Brett Lee) and everyone else bowled really well to pull it back,' said wicketkeeper and opening batsman who top-scored for KKR with a 32-ball 45.
Spinners set it up for us: Ganga
Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago captain Daren Ganga credited his spinners for setting up team's five-wicket victory over debutants Ruhunu in the opening game of the qualifying round.
Ganga said the win will boost his side's confidence as they prepare to take on Leicestershire in their next game today.
'We have got some experienced slow bowlers. They have done tricks for us time and time again. We just thought that spinners did the trick today,' Ganga told reporters at the post-match press conference.
'We need to take care at top of the order and how we approach things to change the momentum of the game. The win has helped our confidence to grow further,' he added.
Noting that the team relies heavily on the spinners, he said he would decide on the composition depending on the track.
'We play to our strengths. We rely on their (spinners) experience heavily. If conditions change, if we got a track that has got lot of grass and looks very hard, we got the quality of players and we make the necessary decisions,' he said.
Ganga was all praise for Darren Bravo and Sherwin Ganga, whose unfinished sixth wicket partnership of 53 in just 26 balls helped the team win the game.
'Bravo knew what exactly his role was and Sherwin also played well,' he said.
Meanwhile, Ruhunu's TM Sampath said the team expected to get around 150 to 160 runs but failed to do so.
'We have to score at least 150-160. We missed some fielding that is the turning point for the game. We are not giving up the tournament. We are looking forward to the next match. We still have a chance to qualify,' he said.
