Producer: Peuli Bakshi
The former captain of India's 2012 cup winning U-19 team has been playing cricket in USA since 2021.
Chand scored a match-winning century in the U-19 World Cup final, and Delhi Daredevils quickly made him a part of their 2013 IPL team.
However, he failed to play any impactful innings. After a few years, he moved to USA and impressed everyone by leading the Silicon Valley Strikers to the first Minor League Cricket (MiLC) T20 title.
He might get selected in USA’s 2024 T20 World Cup squad. “Since I've retired from India, my next goal was always to play against India" Unmukt Chand said.
As USA is in the same group as India, Chand might be get to play against cricketers he once captained, like Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav.
Besides him, 2 more players from the 2012 Under-19 World Cup winning team are gearing up to feature in USA’s 2024 T20 World Cup team.
Wicketkeeper-batter, Smit Patel and spinner, Harmeet Singh have qualified to play for the USA, and are looking forward to play against their former teammates.
He has played for Gujarat, Tripura and Baroda in India. Following Chand, he also moved to USA in 2020.
Patel said, “Still remember the day he (Bumrah) rocked up to practice for the first and he left us awestruck with what we were witnessing.”
The former Mumbai bowler also shifted to USA for better opportunities. “If MLC gets good success, then I think the USA will play a big role in developing cricket globally,” he said.