The right-handed batter scripted history after making his debut for Melbourne Renegades against Hobart Hurricanes in match No 54 of the BBL at Docklands Stadium.
Melbourne
Former U-19 World Cup-winning captain Unmukt Chand, on Tuesday, became the first Indian male cricketer to play in Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL).
The right-handed batter scripted history after making his debut for Melbourne Renegades against Hobart Hurricanes in match No 54 of the BBL at Docklands Stadium.
“The new colours suit you, @UnmuktChand9,” Renegades tweeted along with the picture of the cricketer.
However, Chand didn’t have a great outing with the bat as he was dismissed for six off eight balls by Sandeep Lamichhane on the 18th over and his team, led by Aaron Finch, lost the match as well.
Notably, the 28-year-old had called time on his playing career in India last year and is plying his trade in different leagues across the globe.
Chand represented three IPL franchises — Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians, and Rajasthan Royals. He had a domestic career spanning more than a decade, including 67 first-class matches, but he never got an opportunity to play for the Indian senior team. The talented cricketer burst onto the international stage as a teenager in the 2012 ICC U-19 World Cup in Australia. He was the player of the match in the final, scoring an unbeaten 111 against an Australian side and guiding India to the title. Unmukt Chand is a right-handed top order batsman.
He played for Delhi in Indian domestic cricket tournaments. Chand led the India Under-19 cricket team to the U-19 Cricket World Cup victory in 2012. He hit an unbeaten 111 in the final against Australia in Townsville, winning the praise of Australian great Ian Chappell.
On 13 August 2021, he announced his retirement from playing cricket in India. Unmukt made his BBL debut for the Melbourne Renegades on 18 January 2022.
Unmukt Chand scored 499 runs during his first stint with the Delhi U-19 team.
The 499 runs include 2 centuries and 1 half-century. His outstanding performance in the U-19 gave him a place in the Delhi senior team. He scored 151 runs on a seaming track against a seasoned Railways attack in Ranji Trophy. (IANS)