Unmukt Chand becomes first male cricketer from India to sign up for BBL

Unmukt Chand signs for Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League (BBL) and is, therefore, the first Indian male cricketer to play in Australia's franchise T20 competition.

Chand, who led India to the Under-19 World Cup title in 2012, recently retired from Indian cricket to pursue his cricketing career in the USA. As he is no longer contracted with the BCCI, he is free to participate in leagues around the world.

Big news... @UnmuktChand9 🔒

The former India A and India U19 captain is officially a Renegade!#GETONRED

— Melbourne Renegades (@RenegadesBBL) November 4, 2021

While it was not an easy decision to leave his country, Chand says he is looking forward to playing in the BBL.  "It wasn't easy, to be very honest, the fact that I won't be playing for the country anymore is something that is difficult to accept," said Chand. 

"But I enjoying playing for the US, it's been getting better every day. And I can now play all the leagues around the world, that's a great opportunity for me personally.

"I've loved watching the Big Bash and players around the world coming in ... 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.

"I'm really looking forward to coming to Melbourne and to get going. I've always enjoyed playing in Australia. I haven't been to Melbourne before... I know there are lots of Indians in Melbourne, so it's going to be nice, and I hope the crowds turn up for games as well," he added.

The 28-year-old has played a few matches in the Indian Premier League (IPL) turning up for franchises like Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals.

Renegades coach David Saker reckons Chand is just the sort of player his side needs. "He brings a wealth of cricket experience. 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. 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," Saker said.

Chand has played 77 T20s so far and has scored 1,565 runs at a strike-rate of 116.09, which includes three centuries and five fifties.