Unmukt Chand scored 68 off 45 balls in the first MLC 2024 game.© X (Twitter)
Remember Unmukt Chand? Once the captain of an U19 World Cup-winning India side, the right-handed top order batsman has been through many ups and downs since. Now, despite changing to US citizenship, Chand was left out of the USA squad that shocked everyone and reached the Super 8 of the 2024 T20 World Cup. However, Chand, 31, has a point to prove, and started off the second season of Major League Cricket (MLC) – USA’s franchise T20 league – with a swashbuckling half-century.
Interestingly, Chand’s present MLC franchise is Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR), who are owned by the Knight Riders group. Many might remember that Chand’s downfall started when he was famously clean bowled by Kolkata Knight Riders pacer Brett Lee in the opening ball of IPL 2013.
After finishing bottom of the table in the first season of MLC last year, LAKR required a strong start to MLC 2024. Chand, coming in to bat at no. 3, took charge in the opening match against Texas Super Kings, after openers Jason Roy and Sunil Narine had been dismissed for two runs each.
Chand made 68 off 45 balls, hitting six 4s and three 6s. No other batter in the LAKR lineup crossed 30, and only one crossed 20. It was Chand’s effort that took LAKR to a respectable total of 162/7.
Star names like David Miller and Andre Russell failed to score big as well. Russell only made 10, while Miller was out for four after his T20 World Cup final heartbreak.
In response, Texas Super Kings (TSK) fell short by 12 runs. Frontline USA pacer Ali Khan dismantled the TSK middle order, picking up three wickets, that saw TSK lose four wickets in five balls between the 14th and 15th over.
Los Angeles Knight Riders next play San Francisco Unicorns on July 8.
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