Unmukt Chand signs multi-year contract with Major Cricket League

Washington DC, Aug 14 (IANS) Unmukt Chand, the winning captain of the 2012 U-19 World Cup, has signed a multi-year contract with Silicon Valley Strikers for the 2021 season of the Minor League Cricket (MLC) in USA.

The announcement comes a day after 28-year-old Chand, who was in USA since April, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in India on Friday. In a statement posted on his social media accounts, Chand said that he is now 'ready to take the leap of faith and enter into a new territory and contribute my best'.

After re-locating to the San Francisco Bay Area, Chand will now make his MLC debut for the Strikers against the Socal Lashings at the Morgan Hill Outdoor Sports Complex in a Minor League Cricket Championship match on Saturday.

"I'm delighted to take the next step in my cricket career by being part of the long-term growth of American cricket and the launch of Major League Cricket," said Chand in a statement.

"I'm excited to have the opportunity to play for the Strikers in Minor League Cricket starting this weekend and help grow the sport locally in the Bay Area, where I have already seen impressive passion for the game of cricket," added Chand.

The Minor League Cricket Championship, sponsored by Toyota, is a national T20 cricket competition for 27 city-based teams from all over USA launched this summer. More than 200 games will take place at 26 venues, featuring more than 400 players.

Chand will join Smit Patel, who was unconquered at 62 as Chand scored an unbeaten 111 in the 2012 U-19 World Cup final in Townsville, in the MLC in USA.

Patel, who announced his retirement from Indian cricket this year, is now representing Manhattan Yorkers in the MLC. He is a member of Barbados Tridents in the upcoming edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).