Chennai move into semis

A pumped-up Mahendra Singh Dhoni again showed why he's one of the great finishers in the game, blasting 25 runs in the final two overs to make Chennai Super Kings the first team to reach the semifinals of each IPL. Chennai's chances seemed dim after Shaun Marsh's sparkling innings had powered Punjab to a massive total, but meaty innings from Suresh Raina and S Badrinath set the stage for a Dhoni onslaught in a tense finish.
Punjab held the edge for most of the match, and going into the last two overs Chennai needed 29, a tough task even with sluggers Dhoni and Albie Morkel at the crease. Juan Theron had been the hero when the last time two teams met, but he couldn't save Punjab at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala. The penultimate over, by Theron, started with two murderous hits for four from Dhoni, feasting on the length deliveries offered. He looked to repeat on the third ball, but a thick edge flew high and fast to wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara who managed to get a glove on it. Theron kept it to singles for the rest of the over, leaving Chennai a still taxing 16 off the final over.
Irfan Pathan had bowled the last six deliveries against Chennai at the Chidambaram as well, and he had kept them down to nine runs to push that match into a Superover. This time, though, he didn't have a tailender like R Ashwin to bowl to; it was a Dhoni channelling the buccaneer spirit with which he made his name.
The first delivery was almost a yorker, but Dhoni managed to power it past long-off for four. The next was a slower ball that he top-edged, but it swirled and landed short of Piyush Chawla for two and Chennai were two runs closer.
SCORES IN BRIEF
KINGS XI PUNJAB: 192 for 3 in 20 overs (Marsh 88 not out, Irfan 44 not out, Sangakkara 33)
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS: 195 for 4 in 19.4 overs (Dhoni 54 not out, Badrinath 53, Raina 46; Power 2-28)
Result: Chennai Super Kings won by six wickets.
Man-of-the-match: Mahendra Singh Dhoni.