Unmukt Chand to play in BBL

Unmukt Chand became the first ever Indian male cricketer to sign up for the Big Bash League as he struck a deal with Melbourne Renegades for the upcoming edition of the T20 tournament.

Chand made himself eligible to play in the BBL after retiring from Indian cricket early this year in order to pursue his cricketing ambitions in the United States.

The 28-year-old Delhi batsman grabbed attention by scoring a century in the final of U19 World Cup against Australia. Unmukt Chand  scored a unbeaten 111 in the chase and sealed the game alongside wicket keeper batsman Smit Patel, who also left Indian cricket to play for USA.

Unmukt Chand featured in 77 T20 matches and scored 1565 runs at an average of 22.35, powered by a strike rate of 116.09. He registered 3 centuries and 5 half centuries in his T20 career!

“I’ve loved watching the Big Bash and players around the world coming in,” Chand said. “It’s a great platform and I always wanted to play there. I’m really looking forward in the coming years that I can make a name for myself and hopefully win championships for the teams I play for.”

“To have a player joining our team who has represented three IPL teams and led his country at ‘A’ and Under 19 level is fantastic,” Renegades coach David Saker said. “As a batter, Unmukt is dynamic and can change games quickly. He has spent much of his career at the top of the order, but we believe he has the flexibility to fill a variety of roles as we need.”