Unmukt Chand becomes the first Indian male cricketer to play in the Big Bash League
Unmukt Chand received his cap ahead of Melbourne Renegades’ clash with Hobart Hurricanes at Melbourne’s Docklands Stadium.
Image courtesy: Melbourne Renegades/Twitter
Former ICC Under-19 World Cup-winning captain Unmukt Chand on Tuesday became the first-ever male cricketer from India to play in Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL). once bidding cheerio to Indian cricket, he re-located to the USA last year. Later, he was signed by the franchise Melbourne Renegades for the 2021-22 season of the T20 league.
Few days back, he took a dig at the franchise for not giving him a game within this current season. He took to Twitter and announced a biting message that read, “Feels a lot of sort of a vacation. Thanks, Melbourne!!”
Feels more like a vacation. Thanks Melbourne!! 🙏
— Unmukt Chand (@UnmuktChand9) January 11, 2022
A week later, the Renegades made it official that they’re handing a debut to the batsman from Delhi. Unmukt received his cap ahead of his team’s clash with Hobart Hurricanes at Melbourne’s Docklands Stadium. He can take the field below the leadership of Australia’s limited-overs captain Aaron Finch.
Unmukt, who had additionally led India A team, never got a chance to play within the senior Indian side. However, he had represented 3 IPL franchises – Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals. His domestic career spanned quite a decade throughout that he played sixty-seven first-class games, scoring 3379 runs and more than 4500 runs in a hundred and twenty List A matches.
He came into the image throughout the Under-19 World Cup 2012, where he led India to a title victory. He bagged the player of the match award in the final against Australia, scoring an unbeaten 111. The triumph led him to the IPL, however he couldn’t cement his place in any of the franchises he played for.
Back in 2019, he moved back to Uttarakhand to settle down but left inside a year as inconsistent performances led to his exit. Eventually, he moved to the United States in search of opportunities.
Welcomed with open arms @UnmuktChand9 🙌❤️ #GETONRED pic.twitter.com/F5XvMrXQPr
— Melbourne Renegades (@RenegadesBBL) January 18, 2022