BBL: How Unmukt Chand became the first Indian to play in Big Bash League?
Unmukt Chand made his debut in the BBL 2021-22 season for Melbourne Renegades.
Although Unmukt Chand never got an opportunity to play for the Indian Cricket Team, he is a well-known player among fans. This right-handed batsman rose to prominence after leading India to victory in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in 2012, with a match-winning century against Australia in the final.
After the triumph, he was an emerging batter in Indian cricket. However, he could not grab a spot in the national team, failing to impress with his performance even in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
In the 2016 edition, he played his last IPL match for the Mumbai Indians (MI), playing a total of 21 matches in the tournament with 300 runs at an average of 15.0.
From 2016 to 2020, he continued to play in Indian domestic cricket. In January 2020, he played his last first-class match for Uttarakhand. In 2021, the right-hander eventually announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket, with an intention to play in foreign franchise T20 leagues.
Notably, according to Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) rules, Indian players are not permitted to participate in franchise T20 leagues of other countries. Hence, if a player wants to play in such leagues, he has to retire from Indian cricket.
Unmukt Chand was the first Indian player to play in BBL
After retiring from all forms of Indian cricket in 2021, Chand participated in Minor League Cricket (MiLC)- a franchise T20 league in the United States of America (USA). He was signed by the Silicon Valley Strikers franchise, and also led the side to the title in the 2021 season.
The following year in 2022, he became the first ever Indian to play in Big Bash League (BBL), playing two matches for Melbourne Renegades in the 2021-22 edition. Notably, he was officially a US international at that time. He played only two games in the tournament, scoring 35 runs.
Later, he also participated in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) in the 2023 edition, representing Chattogram Challengers. Since 2023, Chand has been a member of Los Angeles Knight Riders in MLC, and also features in various franchise T20 leagues around the world.
When did Unmukt Chand make his debut in BBL?
Unmukt Chand made his debut in BBL in January 2022, playing for Melbourne Renegades in the BBL 2021-22.
When did Unmukt Chand announce his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket?
Unmukt Chand announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket in 2021.
What is Unmukt Chand’s record in IPL?
Unmukt Chand played 21 games in IPL, scoring 300 runs at an average of 15.0.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.