BBL 2021-22: Unmukt Chand debuts for Melbourne Renegades, becomes first Indian male to play the tournament

Unmukt Chand made his BBL debut on Tuesday. He has become the first Indian male to play in the competition. He played for Melbourne Renegades but lost the match to Hobart Hurricanes.

Former ICC U-19 World Cup-winning Indian skipper Unmukt Chand made headlines in Australia today. He debuted in the Big Bash League (BBL) 2021-22 for Melbourne Renegades. In Game 54, he played against Hobart Hurricanes. However, he ended up on the losing side, scoring just six, while the Renegades is already out of the playoffs race.

Before the kick-off at the Docklands Stadium in Melbourne on Tuesday, Renegades confirmed its social media handles regarding Chand's debut. Later, as Chand took the field, Renegades took to Twitter to share his picture from the match, captioning, "The new colours suit you, @UnmuktChand9".

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As a result of this debut, Chand has become the first Indian male to participate in the BBL. Overall, he is the second India after Harmanpreet Kaur to do the same. Last year, he had announced his retirement from Indian cricket to try his luck overseas. While he is currently attempting a cricketing career in the United States of America (USA), he is free to participate in overseas Twenty20 (T20) leagues.

Match summary
Winning the toss, Hurricanes opted to bat. Matthew Wade (48) and Tim David (46) helped Hurricanes finish on a good total of 182/5. In reply, the Renegades showed some girt and put on a solid chase, thanks to skipper Aaron Finch (75) and Shaun Marsh (51), only to fall short by six runs.
Brief scores: HH 182/5 (David- 46; Boyce- 2/37, Lalor- 2/37) defeated MR 176/6 (Finch- 75; Marsh- 51; Rogers- 3/35) by six runs.