Match Center

That is it then from this game and the teams playing at home have made it three wins out of three to kick off the 2023 Indian T20 League. On Sunday, the 2nd of April, there's another doubleheader lined up for the fans. First up, it will be Hyderabad taking on Rajasthan in Hyderabad and that game will begin at 3.30 pm IST (10 am GMT). This game will be followed by a blockbuster clash between Bangalore and Mumbai in Bengaluru at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT) but you can join us early for the build-up of both those games. Till then, take care and goodbye!

Mark Wood (4-0-14-5) is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for an exceptional bowling performance. He says that the last time he was here he played for Chennai and it didn't go well so he wanted to make an impact. Adds that he felt good and the landing area was a bit of an issue but is happy to get a bit of rhythm in. Mentions that they knew dew was going to be a factor and they practised for it in training but the intensity is different in an actual game. Adds that he was trying to keep his strides short due to the dew because he was a bit worried about slipping but will look to shrug that off next time.

KL Rahul, the captain of Lucknow says that it was a nice performance. Adds that they also didn't know how the wicket would play and says that the toss is not in their hands, but praise his team. Tells that the intent was good from their batters and credits Mayers for his innings. Mentions that Delhi also got to a good start, but his bowlers came back well. Says that Wood is a special bowler and picking up five wickets shows his quality. Ends by saying that this game gives them confidence, but they wouldn't think too much of it as in this format you have to take every game as a new one.

The presentation ceremony...

Marcus Stoinis is down for a quick chat. Stoinis says that it is a brilliant start from the boys and Mark Wood was bowling exceptionally well out there. Adds that the coaches always say that more players performing is a nice problem to have but he is just happy to get the win. Says that it was soaking wet out in the middle. Adds that one end was turning a bit more and Kyle Mayers gave himself some time before exploding but Nicholas Pooran didn't need a look in and credits Ayush Badoni as well.

The Delhi skipper, David Warner says that it was always going to be difficult chasing this target. Adds that they dropped a couple of catches which did not help, but credits Lucknow for their performance. Tells that the hosts batted really well and he thought the par score was around 170. Praises Mark Wood for his brilliant spell. Mentions that it felt like bowling in two different pitches and it was difficult. Says that they need to learn from this game and play better when they play in front of their home crowd.

Earlier in the game, David Warner won the toss and put Lucknow into bat on a difficult track for batters early on. The wicket was tricky and Delhi made early inroads with the ball as well but once Kyle Mayers got into his groove there was no stopping him. Also, Khaleel Ahmed dropped him early on and Mayers made sure he didn't miss out and ended up with 73 runs. Nicholas Pooran too played a quick-fire knock and a few lusty blows from Ayush Badoni and Impact Player Krishnappa Gowtham on the final delivery took them over the 190-run mark. The bowling from Delhi was a bit of a hit-and-miss as Khaleel Ahmed and Mukesh Kumar bowled decently and the spinners too got in a few decent overs but Chetan Sakariya who started off well went for 53 runs in his quota of four overs. Coming to the chase, after a decent opening partnership, Delhi simply couldn't get going and Lucknow put on a strong display with the ball to win the game quite comfortably.

Everything that could go wrong for Delhi, did go wrong in this game. They had a poor outing in the field and even the bowlers conceded boundaries at crucial stages of the first innings and during the run chase, their batting was in shambles. David Warner and Prithvi Shaw started off well in the first four overs but Shaw got out trying to take on a fired-up Mark Wood and their most in-form batter, Mitchell Marsh was knocked over in the first ball as well. Delhi never recovered from this and Warner played a sluggish inning that took him to a half-ton but he never looked like being in control. No one else contributed much or eased the pressure off Warner and Delhi will now look to bounce back quickly from this defeat.

Lucknow had the runs on the board and after a sluggish start with the ball, Mark Wood was brought into the attack and his double blow put Lucknow right on top of proceedings. After that, the middle overs were bossed by their spinners and the pacers too came in and kept on picking up wickets. Wood was the pick of the bowlers as he ended with a brilliant five-wicket haul but the likes of Avesh Khan and Ravi Bishnoi too picked up crucial wickets. Everyone apart from Jaydev Unadkat had a solid outing with the ball and Lucknow will look to build on this now.

A cakewalk of a victory in the end for KL Rahul and Lucknow in front of their home fans to get their campaign off to a positive start. They have put on a very well-rounded performance to make short work of Delhi and get the win.

Mark Wood serves this full and around leg, Mukesh Kumar backs away and drives it towards covers. LUCKNOW WIN BY 50 RUNS!

Mukesh Kumar is the last man in for Delhi.

OUT! TAKEN! Mark Wood gets his five-wicket haul! A terrific spell of bowling from him. He bangs this short again, on middle, Chetan Sakariya gets hurried as he tries to go for the pull shot, but miscues it as the ball lobs up towards mid-wicket where Krunal Pandya takes a dolly. Lucknow are set for a big win here.

Mark Wood bangs in a bouncer, on leg, Chetan Sakariya ducks under it.

Short of a length and around off, Chetan Sakariya looks to play at it, but misses.

FOUR! Good shot! This is full and on off, Chetan Sakariya muscles it over mid off for a boundary. Believe it or not, that is the first boundary that Wood has conceded here.

Chetan Sakariya is the new man in.

OUT! STRAIGHT TO THE FIELDER! Mark Wood gets his fourth wicket. He serves this full and around leg, Axar Patel connects wtith his flick well, but unfortunately for him it travels straight to Prerak Mankad (Sub) at deep square leg who take a nice catch. Can he take a five-for here?