Rahul and De Kock pace Lucknow chase in IPL win over Chennai

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Lokesh Rahul and Quinton de Kock brilliantly paced Lucknow Super Giants' chase to beat Chennai Super Kings with an over to spare in the Indian Premier League on Friday.

Rahul's and De Kock's opening partnership of 134 runs set up Lucknow to reach 180-2 in reply to Chennai's 176-6 and win by eight wickets.

Both teams have four wins from sevens games, but Chennai was third and Lucknow fifth on net run rate.

Skipper Rahul scored 82 off 53 balls with nine fours and three sixes. He was out with only 16 runs needed. De Kock scored 54 off 43 balls and fell in the 15th over.

They made full use of the power play, plundering 54 runs in the first six overs. Their partnership reached 100 off only 65 balls.

De Kock reached 50 off 41 balls, hitting five fours and a six, before he was caught behind off Mustafizur Rahman.

It was a poor bowling display from Chennai, however. The spinners weren’t able to exploit a slow-paced track, partly owing to the dewy conditions.

Rahul stroked his way to a 31-ball half-century. Rahul fell before the finish line but the promoted Nicholas Pooran finished off Lucknow's first win in three games. He was 23 not out off 12 balls.

Put into bat, Chennai lost opener Rachin Ravindra for a golden duck.

Ajinkya Rahane ra 36 off 24 balls, while skipper Rituraj Gaikwad scored 17.

The Lucknow pacers were on top at the beginning. Mohsin Khan dismissed Ravindra and Yash Thakur got rid of captain Rituraj Gaikwad. Ajinkya Rahane (36) fell to spin.

Ravindra Jadeja was promoted to No. 3 to counter Lucknow’s spin bowling and the move worked as he batted to his first half-century this season off 34 balls.

Jadeja didn't get support until Moeen Ali arrived at 90-5. The left-handed pairing rescued Chennai with a combined 51 off 33 balls for the sixth wicket. Ali was out caught with 13 deliveries left.

Veteran Mahendra Singh Dhoni walked in to a loud cheer and smacked 28 not out off nine deliveries, including three fours and two sixes.

Jadeja finished 57 not out off 40 balls.

Krunal Pandya took 2-16 and Marcus Stoinis 1-7.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Chennai Super Kings' Ravindra Jadeja watches the ball after playing a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow, India, Friday, April 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Surjeet Yadav)

Chennai Super Kings' Ravindra Jadeja celebrates his fifty runs during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow, India, Friday, April 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Surjeet Yadav)

Lucknow Super Giants' Nicholas Pooran plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow, India, Friday, April 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Surjeet Yadav)

Lucknow Super Giants' Quinton de Kock plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow, India, Friday, April 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Surjeet Yadav)

Lucknow Super Giants' captain KL Rahul completes the run during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow, India, Friday, April 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Surjeet Yadav)

Lucknow Super Giants' captain KL Rahul plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow, India, Friday, April 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Surjeet Yadav)

Lucknow Super Giants' captain KL Rahul, , left, and his batting partner Quinton de Kock run between the wickets during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow, India, Friday, April 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Surjeet Yadav)

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The Cyprus government has given Chevron another six months to come up with a revised plan to develop a sizeable natural gas deposit off the island nation’s southern coastline after an earlier plan proposed by the U.S. energy company lacked a timetable, an official said Thursday.

Chevron’s development proposal from March 29 for the Aphrodite deposit estimated to hold 4.2 trillion cubic feet of gas “wasn’t considered targeted and was without specific timetables,” the official with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss details of the deal.

In a reply letter last Thursday, Cypriot Energy Minister George Papanastasiou asked Chevron for “specific, targeted actions” and a “specific timetable” that would confirm its commitment to developing the gas field.

In January this year, the Cypriot government and Chevron reached a “mutually beneficial” agreement on how to develop the gas field, ending long stalled negotiations on plans to extract the hydrocarbon since its discovery in 2011.

At the time, the Cypriot energy ministry said Chevron affirmed that both sides are in “alignment” regarding the “wider framework of the field’s exploitation.”

Chevron had wanted to send the gas to Egypt through a pipeline, but Cyprus preferred to process it on a floating production facility because it would be more economically beneficial for the island nation and would lend more flexibility to supplying other markets.

On Tuesday, Claudio Descalzi, chief executive officer of the Italian energy company Eni discussed with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides ways to expedite development of gas fields that Eni discovered in waters off Cyprus’ southern coast.

A statement said the two men reviewed discoveries that Eni and its partner TotalEnergies of France made in 2022, confirming “the encouraging outcomes of the previous wells.”

Eni, which has had a presence in Cyprus since 2013, operates five offshore areas – or blocks – and has participating interest in another two.

FILE - An offshore drilling rig is seen in the waters off Cyprus' coastal city of Limassol, on July 5, 2020 as a sailboat sails in the foreground. The Cyprus government has given U.S. energy company Chevron another six months to come up with a revised plan to develop a sizeable natural gas deposit off the island nation's southern coastline after an earlier plan was deemed to lack a specific timetable, an official said Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias, File)