Decoding Unmukt Chand's BBL show for Melbourne Renegades
Former India's U-19 World Cup-winning skipper Unmukt Chand was handed his debut cap in the Big Bash League (BBL) by Melbourne Renegades against Hobart Hurricanes. With this, he has become the first male player from India to play in Australia's domestic T20 league. Chand failed in making an impression on his debut but did a decent job during his second outing on Wednesday.
- Despite his successful U-19 campaign, Chand did not make it to the senior level for India.
- However, his victorious stint in the 2012 World Cup earned him an Indian Premier League contract.
- He even had the opportunity to lead India A on overseas tours.
- Last year, Unmukt announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket to become eligible to play in overseas leagues.
Indian women cricket team players have been playing in domestic leagues around the world, including the Women's Big Bash League. However, India's international and domestic male players are currently not permitted to play in competitions abroad.
Chand walked to bat at number four after Shaun Marsh's dismissal reduced his side to 138/2 in 14.5 overs in chase of 183. At this juncture, Melbourne needed just 45 runs to win in 5.1 overs with eight wickets in hand. However, Chand was not able to take his team across the line as he was dismissed by Sandeep Lamichhane for six runs.
Batting first, Hobart Hurricanes posted a respectable total of 182 runs for the loss of five wickets in 20 overs. Matthew Wade top-scored with 48 runs off 39 balls while Tim David scored a quickfire 46. Cameron Boyce and Josh Lalor picked two wickets each. In reply, Renegades managed to score just 176/6 in 20 overs and conceded the match by 6 runs.
Despite his poor show on debut, Chand was named in Melbourne's squad for their Wednesday's clash against Sydney Thunder. He fared better in his second outing, smashing 29 runs from 22 balls with the help of one four and two sixes. Melbourne lost the match by one run to finish the season at the bottom of the table with three wins from 14 games.
In 67 First-Class games, Chand has amassed 3,379 runs at 31.57. He slammed eight tons and 16 fifties. He played 120 List A games, scoring 4,505 runs at 41.33. He hit seven hundreds and 32 fifties. In 79 T20 matches, Chand has scored 1,600 runs at 22.22. He has notched three tons and five fifties.
In the Indian Premier League (IPL), Unmukt has been a part of three franchises - Delhi Daredevils, Rajasthan Royals, and Mumbai Indians. He scored 300 runs from 21 matches in the tournament at 15.0, including a 50+ score.
