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Chennai Super Kings  drubbed Kings XI Punjab  by nine wickets in a lop-sided contest in Mumbai on Saturday night to storm into Sunday's final against table toppers Rajasthan Royals .

After restricting the Punjab side to a meagre 112 for eight, the Chennai side romped home riding on a second wicket stand of 102 runs between opener Parthiv Patel (51 off 48 balls) and Suresh Raina (55 off 34 balls) at the Wankhede Stadium.

Shane Watson did the star turn as Rajasthan Royals  stormed into the final of the Indian Premier League , beating Delhi Daredevils  by 105 runs in the first semi-final at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on Friday night. The Australia all-rounder first hit a breezy 52 as the Royals put up a challenging 192 for 9 in their allotted 20 overs and then destroyed the Delhi top order.

Chennai Super Kings did not have any hiccups in their quest for a semi-final berth, beating Hyderabad Deccan Chargers by a solid seven-wicket margin. The win also ended Mumbai Indians' faint hopes of making the knockout stage.

For Hyderabad, it was never going to be a moment to cherish, as they ended the Indian Premier League with a poor record of 12 defeats and only two wins. Their ambition of scoring a win at home never came true.

In a pulsating last-ball finish, league leaders Rajasthan Royals defeated the Mumbai Indians by five wickets in the DLF Indian Premier League tonight, paving the way for the Delhi Daredevils to reach the semi-finals.

The Daredevils, anxious spectators as the thrilling encounter drew to a close in Jaipur, have 15 points from their 14 matches and cannot be overtaken by Mumbai Indians who have 12 points from 13 matches and play bottom-placed Bangalore Royal Challengers on Wednesday.

It was the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium here that saw the renaissance of Sanath Jayasuriya more than 12 years ago. The Sri Lankan opener defied logic and rewrote cricketing chapters with his pyrotechnics on his way to leading his side to World Cup glory.

Rahul Dravid must have been wondering what Bangalore could do to register an elusive third victory in the IPL. But Dravid would be flummoxed after Chennai choked and gift-wrapped them a 14-run win at the MA Chidambaram stadium here on Wednesday.

The script went the dreaded direction again for Bangalore who only managed 126-8 with the bat, but a dramatic twist in the dying stages saw Chennai lose a flurry of wickets against an unrelenting bowling attack, appropriately led by Anil Kumble's 3-14.

Needing 15 runs from the last over bowled by Praveen Kumar, Suresh Raina declined two singles to Makhaya Ntini at the other end which cost Chennai dear. The last over went for a solitary run.

Openers Parthiv Patel (24) and Stephen Fleming (46) ensured a brisk start to their run chase, but with just half the runs left to notch up a win, Anil Kumble got Chennai into a hole they could never get themselves out of.

Kumble's three-wicket burst was backed up ably by a bowling attack short of Zaheer Khan, and with Dhoni back in the hut early, Dale Steyn produced an inspiring late spell to remove Albie Morkel and S Vidyut which included a stunning catch from Jacques Kallis.

Chennai, with 14 points before the start of the game having seen at least two spots for the semi-finals being filled, had even the schedule on their side with their last two games against Bangalore and Hyderabad — the

disappointments of the season. But with the defeat in their penultimate fixture, Chennai's dreams of a semi-final berth ensures them as well as Delhi and Mumbai of a scrap till the last match.

Under-fire Bangalore captain Rahul Dravid waged yet another lone battle with a brave 47 before becoming one of Albie Morkel's four victims. Praveen Kumar was the next highest scorer with 21.

That the reason for Bangalore's nightmare has been their batting is no secret, and their umpteenth opening combination settled matters yet again as both departed within the powerplay overs after opting to bat. The slide never stopped — as ever — with half their side back in the pavilion by the 15th over, with just 76 runs on the board.

Sachin Tendulkar did almost everything right while batting but still could not ensure a win for Mumbai. In a crunch Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday, the master batsman could only look on from the dugout as his team did a ‘hara-kiri’ to lose by one run to Mohali in a thrilling encounter.