Unmukt Chand says uncertainty surrounding Delhi future hurt his chances of being bought in IPL auctions

Unmukt Chand revealed that getting dropped from Delhi’s limited overs side hampered his chances of being picked at the IPL auctions. Chand, who last played in the IPL for Mumbai Indians in 2016, remained unsold at 2017 as well as the 2018 auctions and according to the right-handed batsman, being dropped for the Vijay Hazare trophy in 2017 damaged his reputation. [caption id=“attachment_4387015” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Unmukt Chand has played for Delhi Daredevils, Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians in the IPL. Sportzpics[/caption] “I was retained by MI for the 2017 season but because I didn’t get to play matches in the previous year, I decided to get released from the squad to find a team where I could play and not sit out, even at base price. Playing is more important than money. It was a hard decision and a big risk too, but I opted out. Unfortunately, I was dropped from the Delhi side four days before the auction, and I’m sure it didn’t send the right signal to the franchisees. I wasn’t picked,” Chand told the Times of India. After leading India to victory at the 2012 U-19 World Cup, Chand has never managed to hit the highs expected from a player of his potential. Chand said that he was axed from Delhi’s 50-over team despite captaining the India A team to victory in a tri-series involving South Africa A and Australia. Chand was India’s second-highest run-getter in the series behind Mayank Agarwal with 235 runs which included three 50+ scores. According to Chand, he was axed due to politics in the Delhi dressing room and that it was the biggest disappointment in his life. Chand only played twice in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy this year, including the final in which he scored a 50, and his below-par performances on the domestic circuit meant that he went unsold once again at the IPL auctions. The uncertainty surrounding his position in the team has also prompted Chand to think about plying his trade for another team but he hasn’t finalised anything as of now. Chand has been in good form having scored more than 400 runs for Delhi across all formats and the U-19 World Cup-winning captain has some advice for India’s 2018 champions: “Don’t rush. Keep working on the game. Be hard on yourself but don’t forget to love yourself.”