Unmukt Chand leaves Delhi, to captain Uttarakhand

26-year old batsman Unmukt Chand, once lauded as the next big thing of Indian cricket has decided to leave Delhi. He will now move to Uttarakhand and captain the side in the upcoming season of the Ranji Trophy. Chand obtained a No Objection Certificate from his home state association of Delhi, clearing the path to join Uttarakhand.

The batsman has failed to land a regular spot in the Delhi playing XI for the past couple of seasons, bringing a halt to a once highly promising career. Chand made his debut for Delhi in 2010 against Gujarat at only 17. He then gained national fame in 2012, leading India to the U-19 World Cup title in Australia. He was the hero in the final against Australia, with a stunning knock of 111*.

.@BCCI @delhi_cricket pic.twitter.com/Zo0CmZAgM2

— Unmukt Chand (@UnmuktChand9) September 3, 2019

Also read: Vinay Kumar ends Karnataka stint, moves to Puducherry

Chand explained his reasons for leaving Delhi. He said, as quoted by Sportstar:

“I never expected I would be dropped. I had served Delhi to the best of my capacity. But the selectors thought otherwise. If only had I known (being dropped) I would have moved to another state.”

Unmukt Chand was also thankful for the chance to represent Uttarakhand at the domestic level:

“Excited at getting an opportunity to play again. I feel sad at leaving Delhi but I have no choice. I am grateful to the Uttarakhand Cricket Association for giving me this opportunity. Hopefully, I to do well.”

The 26-year old has so far played 60 First-class matches in his career. He has scored 3184 runs at an average of 34.23 with 8 centuries and 16 half-centuries to his name.