MS Dhoni warned his side they must improve their fielding if they are to have any chance of lifting this year's IPL title.

The Super Kings moved to the top of the IPL table after they claimed their fourth win on the spin by 12 runs against Kings XI Punjab in a rain-reduced match at Centurion this evening.

The victory was set up by another impressive display with the bat led by the tournament's leading run scorer, Matthew Hayden, who clattered six sixes on his way to his 89.

The Australian was joined in a 100-run stand by Dhoni (56 not out) to form the backbone of the Super Kings' 185 for three from 18 overs - their highest score of the tournament.

And while that total would be enough for Dhoni's side, they had to fight until the very end to claim victory after sloppy fielding and dropped catches kept Punjab in the game.

Chennai pip Punjab by 12 runs

"There are plenty of positives to take away from the game, however we are making the same mistakes again and again and that's dropping catches," Dhoni said afterward in an interview broadcast on Setanta Sports 1.

"We are dropping catches off batsmen who are set and that is costing us."

Hayden, who has now scored 378 runs at an average of 47.25, admitted he was enjoying himself after retiring from international cricket earlier this year, while also echoing Dhoni's thoughts.

"It has been a lot of fun and you definitely need an element of luck," he said.

"I think in this game you've nothing to lose. That's why I enjoy it so much because the level of risk is so high. You just swing from the rafters and if you connect it goes along way, especially at altitude."

He added: "In the end it was a bit of a shaky win. We had a good total on the board and we should have been able to defend that easier.

"We really do need to pick up our fielding."

Powerful blows

Kings XI Punjab captain Yuvraj Singh had threatened to grab an unlikely victory for his side with some powerful blows, including one off Albie Morkel that sailed out of the ground over square leg.

Simon Katich's 50 (from 26 balls) and Mahela Jayawardene (44 not out) had kept Punjab in the hunt and when Yuvraj hit his straps, aided by Chennai's poor fielding, victory looked a possiblilty needing 30 runs from the final two overs.

But Suresh Raina's penultimate over cost just six runs to blunt Punjab's charge and afterwards Yuvraj admitted they had conceded too many runs.

"I just couldn't hit the ball cleanly in those final two overs," he said.

"In the end they just had too many runs on the board. Perhaps 170 would have been achievable. We are conceding too many runs, especially at the death."