Mark Wood an exceptional bowler, showed his true talent: David Warner

Mark Wood ripped through the Delhi Capitals (DC) batting line-up with his exceptional spell of 5 for 14 to help Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) get off to the perfect start. David Warner held one end up with his fifty but had no support from the other end, as his side went down by 50 runs in Lucknow.

While admitting that DC were not at their best, Warner praised Wood for his brilliant spell.

"It was a bit of a challenge. We had some early momentum with the fast bowlers. They bowled very well in the Powerplay. Nobody means to drop catches and a little bit of momentum shifted there but you can't take it away from the Lucknow team. They batted very well there on a wicket that I thought 170 was par," Warner said at the post-match presentation.

"They did an exceptional job. It's a big thing, momentum in this game. We talk about building partnerships but you can't take it away from Wood. He's an exceptional bowler and he showed his true talent and experience tonight."

LSG skipper KL Rahul to showered praise on Wood. "There was a bit of dew and we thought the wicket would get easier to bat but our bowlers did really well. The whole group, it was Woody's day today. It's always a dream for a fast bowler," Rahul said.

"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. It was Woody's day, he made it count but overall the group put pressure on the batters."

Following his five-wicket haul, the first-ever by any bowler for LSG, Wood said that he was pleased with his rhythm. "I wanted to make an impact in his game. The landing area was bit of an issue, but I am pleased with my rhythm as I managed to take wickets," Wood said.

"We have trained here, so we knew dew was going to be a factor. Tried to keep things simple, the planning with Morne helped me. I was trying to keep my strides short [due to the wet outfield]. 

"Trained here before during practice games, but the intensity was different, not as much as it was tonight. Was worried a bit about slipping but I will try to shrug that off next time."

LSG will look to continue their good show when they take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Chepauk on Monday (April 3). DC, on the other hand, take on Gujarat Giants (GT) next on Tuesday (April 4).