Hyderabad: Deccan Chargers may not have qualified for the play-offs of the Indian Premier League-V but captain Kumar Sangakkara is happy the way his team performed in the last two matches.

With their nine-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore Sunday, Chargers not only denied them a play-off berth but also improved their position to eighth place on the table with nine points.

"We played two good matches. All of us chipped in and that is important," said the Sri Lankan after the win over RCB.

He praised Dale Steyn, who took three wickets for eight runs.

"Steyn bowled a few good spells. But in a crunch match like this he carried us and this gave lot of confidence to all other boys. He is a nice guy. He helps other bowlers as well. He is the best bowler in the world," said Sangakkara.

The Chargers skipper said Steyn with his extra pace beat Chris Gayle. "I think Steyn had a pretty clear plan what he is going to bow to Gayle and it worked."

"For the bowlers they have to bowl to that guy (Gayle) as many balls as possible in good areas. The rest is upto Gayle to get out or hit them out of the park," he added.

"looking at the wicket and after four to five overs we thought if we get 140 it will be a good score. The only X factor with RCB guys is Chris Gayle. It does not matter what the wicket is if he gets going."

"I think J.P. (Duminy) batted magnificently. Every one chipped in keep the scoreboard ticking. If you get a manageable total on a wicket like this which is two-paced, exerting the pressure sometimes turn your way," said Sangakkara.

He was satisfied with the team's performance in the tournament.

"We played really good cricket. Unfortunately the results have not gone our way. We batted very well throughout the tournament. Dhawan has been magic, White exceptional, Duminy gets his runs if he spends some time at the crease," he said.

He also had words of praise for youngsters like Akshath Reddy, Ashish Reddy, Veer Pratap Singh and Manpreet Gony.

"There is lot of encouragement for us to look forward. There is a bit of regret as to the drop chances. We need to improve fitness and fielding. Fielding is the most important skill in this format of game," he said and pointed out that they had last ball and last over finishes but not delivered at crucial times. (IANS)