Durban, May 20: 2008 runners-up Chennai Super Kings made sure of second place in the league qualifying table with a comfortable win over Kings XI Punjab despite posting a low score in their IPL T20 match at the Kingsmead Stadium here on Wednesday.

The Super Kings won the match by 24 runs.

The win all but knocked Kings XI out of the race for a berth in the semifinals and turned the final league game between Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Deccan Chargers at the SuperSport Park in Centurion on Thursday into a race for third and fourth places - Delhi Daredevils and Chennai finishing beyond the reach of these two teams.

Chasing 117, Punjab were restricted to 92/8 by a rampaging Chennai attack that ended their hopes of progressing to the next stage of the cash-rich tournament.

Kings XI Punjab started sluggishly, losing openers Simon Katich (8) and Sunny Sohal (3) by the seventh over with the scoreboard reading 32.

Muttiah Muralitharan's economical spell in which he conceded just eight runs in four overs and picked up the crucial wickets of Simon Katich and Luke Pomersbach decisively tilted the momentum towards the Super Kings.

Needing to play a big hand, Yuvraj Singh failed to make an impact and was bowled by Suresh Raina for six.

Punjab thereafter lost wickets at regular intervals and were graduallty squeezed out of the match by the ever-rising run-rate.

Raina, Thilan Thusara, Muralitharan and R. Ashwin picked up two wickets apiece as Chennai got home with some ease.

Earlier, the Chennai Super Kings failed to make the most of a promising start and could only muster 116/9 after being at 40 for no loss in the fifth over.

Australian George Bailey made his second IPL appearance as compatriot Matthew Hayden was sidelined with an ankle injury, and with opening partner Parthiv Patel, who top-scored with 32, provided a solid platform for the Super Kings.

Scores: Chennai Super Kings 116/9 in 20 overs (Parthiv 32; Sreesanth 2/23) bt Kings XI Punjab 92/8 in 20 overs (Pomersbach 26; Murali 2/8, Ashwin 2/13)