‘He has been really good with me’ - Mark Wood heaps praise on Morne Morkel following masterclass against Delhi Capitals

The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has begun in a fabulous fashion for Lucknow Super Giants. The KL Rahul-led side faced Delhi Capitals in their first match of the tournament. Continuing where they left off, Lucknow started the IPL 2023 with a resounding win against the David Warner-led Delhi.

Courtesy of excellent gameplay by Kyle Mayers and Nicholas Pooran, Lucknow posted 193 runs on the board. In the second innings, it was England pacer Mark Wood who had an excellent spell and propelled Lucknow to a win. Wood took a fifer and conceded just 14 runs as his side won their first match of the season by 50 runs.

Talking about his performance, Wood heaped praise on skipper KL Rahul and bowling coach Morne Morkel, and opined that they were integral to his return.

"KL (Rahul) tried to keep things simple for me, and the planning with Morne helped me. He has been really good with me, just try to do similar with what I do for England," Wood said after winning the Player of the Match award.

"Last time I was here, I played for CSK, and it didn't go quite well. So I wanted to try to make an impact this time, and I'm delighted that it's gone well today. I felt good for a little period of time, actually. You could see the dew on the grass, and it affected me. I fall even at the best of times. I'm just pleased that I managed to get some rhythm in and take some wickets," he added.

It was Woody's day today: KL Rahul

Following Mark Wood’s masterclass in the first game, Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul also came forward to heap praise on the English pacer after his fifer.

"It was Woody's day today. It's always a dream for a fast bowler. When someone is going well and has those kinds of performances, it has a huge impact on the team and on the result of the game," Rahul said.

Lucknow will now move to Chennai where they will lock horns with Chennai Super Kings in the latter's first home match of IPL 2023, on April 3.