Former India U-19 skipper Unmukt Chand kicks off preparations for maiden BBL stint (SEE PICTURES)

Unmukt Chand has become the first Indian male to sign up for the Big Bash League side, as he would be playing for Melbourne Renegades this season. Here's how he has been practising.

Indian cricketer Unmukt Chand raised eyebrows when he announced his retirement from Indian cricket due to the lack of enough playing opportunities and is aiming for a career overseas. Consequently, he is free of the legal complications and limitations of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Consequently, he has signed up for the Australian Twenty20 (T20) side Melbourne Renegades and will participate in the Big Bash League (BBL) 2021-22, thus becoming the first Indian male to sign up in the tournament ever. Meanwhile, he has landed in Melbourne ahead of the competition that starts December 5.

Renegades shared some pictures of his first training session. The former ICC U-19 World Cup-winning skipper plays various shots, including drive, defence, straight drive and cut. Renegades captioned the post, "Welcome to Melbourne, @UnmuktChand9!" It would be interesting to see if he gets regular chances in playing XI and how he fares.

As far as his T20 stats are concerned, he has scored 1,565 runs in 75 innings at an average of 22.35 and a strike rate of 116.09, including five half-centuries and three tons. In the IPL, he has scored 300 from 20 games at 15.00 and 100.0, with a 50. Renegades have won the BBL just once to date, in 2018-19. Recently, Chand also got married, as he tied the knot to his long-time girlfriend, Simran.