Chand, now 29, was picked up at the draft in Dhaka on Wednesday, with the franchise keen on having an Indian player to tap into the fan base in the country, according to franchise owner Rifatuzzaman.
As things stand, his USA eligibility pathway rests on him being in the country for ten months in a year for three years. Featuring in the BPL is unlikely to jeopardise his chances of qualifying to play for USA in 2024, as the tournament is set to run only for six weeks from January 5 to February 15. However, taking on a subsequent T20 gig outside the USA could prove challenging.
Chand, who represented Delhi in India’s domestic circuit, played 67 first-class games while scoring 3379 runs at an average of 31.57. He fared better in List A cricket, where he scored 4505 runs at an average of 41.33 in 120 matches. And before leaving Indian cricket, he had 1565 runs at an average of 22.35 and a strike rate of 116.09 in 77 T20s.
In the IPL, he represented the erstwhile Delhi Daredevils – now Delhi Capitals – before also playing for Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians. He featured in 21 matches in all, scoring 300 runs in 20 innings with a highest of 58.