Indian cricketer Unmukt Chand has joined the Lumbini Lions squad for the 2024 Nepal Premier League (NPL) franchise cricket competition, which is being run by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN).
The Lumbini Lions have officially signed Chand for this season of the NPL. He was the captain who led India to the ICC U-19 World Cup title. Chand has also played in the world-renowned franchise tournament, the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The arrival of Chand has brought great excitement to the Lumbini Lions. As captain of the 2012 Indian U-19 World Cup-winning team, he scored a century in the final match. He has previously played in the IPL for notable clubs like Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians, delivering impressive performances.
Currently, Chand is also performing well in the United States’ Major League Cricket. “I’m looking forward to stepping onto the field as a player for Lumbini Lions in the Nepal Premier League. I’ll use my experience for the success of the team,” said the 31-year-old Chand.
Lumbini Lions’ chairman, Ishwar GC, expressed excitement in welcoming an experienced player like Unmukt Chand. “We are thrilled to have him on our team. His global experience and achievements will make our squad even stronger,” he said.
Chand has played 67 first-class matches, scoring a total of 3,379 runs with eight centuries and 16 half-centuries. In List A cricket, he has scored 4,505 runs across 120 matches, with seven centuries and 32 half-centuries. Additionally, he has scored a total of 1,795 runs in 90 T20 matches.
The NPL is set to begin on Mangsir 15 (November/December), with eight teams competing.
Lumbini Lions is a club owned by Fortuna Health Care Pvt. Ltd., which purchased the team for NPR 18.64 million. Rohit Kumar Paudel, the captain of Nepal’s national cricket team, is the marquee player for the Lumbini Lions.
In the recent player auction, Lumbini Lions spent NPR 1.5 million each on three players—Surya Tamang, Vivek Yadav, and Sandeep Jora. Similarly, they purchased Ashutosh Ghiraia and Tilakraj Bhandari for NPR 1 million each. Lumbini Lions spent NPR 800,000 on Durgesh Gupta, NPR 500,000 on Arjun Saud, and NPR 275,000 on Dinesh Adhikari. They acquired Abhishek Gautam and Vikas Agri for NPR 200,000 each, bringing their total auction spending to NPR 8.475 million.
