Unmukt Chand becomes first Indian cricketer to join BBL

Unmukt Chand became the first Indian male cricketer to play in Australia's domestic T20 competition, the Big Bash League (BBL). The former U-19 World Cup-winning captain is traveling to Australia later this month.

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Unmukt Chand joined 2018/19 champions Melbourne Renegades. On Thursday, Melbourne Renegades announced Unmukt Chand's signing in the league. BBL 2021-22 is starting off on 5 December till 25 January. He retired from Indian cricket in August 2021. Unmukt never got to play for the Indian senior national team but has captained the India A team.

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Unmukt said in playing for BBL:

Unmukt said, "I'm very excited, it's great to be part of the Melbourne Renegades family. I've always followed the Big Bash and it's a great opportunity for me to come and play some good cricket. I'm really looking forward to coming to Melbourne and to get going."

He further stated, "I've always enjoyed playing in Australia. I haven't been to Melbourne before... I know for a fact 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. I've always wanted to play in leagues like these and it's great that now I have this opportunity to be representing the Renegades in the Big Bash, so for me it's big. I really look forward to contributing as much as I can on the field. I'll give it my best shot."

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Renegades head coach David Saker said, "We're delighted to have Unmukt joining the Renegades and see him being an important part of our group. 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."