Former U-19 World Cup-winning captain Unmukt Chand on Friday (August 13) stunned everyone with his decision to quit Indian cricket at the age of 28.

Unmukt is open to ply his trade around the world. In fact, he will turn up in the 2021 edition of Minor League Cricket (MLC), having signed for the Silicon Valley Strikers.

Amid the development, Chand has opened up about his Indian Premier League (IPL) stint, saying it was a massive experience but he was not quite lucky during his time with the franchises.

Unmukt had begun his IPL career with Delhi Capitals (formerly known as Delhi Daredevils) back in 2011. He also turned up for Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians and his last appearance in the T20 league was in 2016.

"Playing the IPL was a massive experience for me, but I wasn't very lucky during my stint in it. I too dreamt of playing for India one day. I did realise some of those dreams with my time at India U-19 and India A. I have been abroad for the past two months, but it doesn't feel too different from home. I am playing with and against new people," ESPNcricinfo quoted Unmukt as saying.

"There are plenty of Indians in the cricket system, and the game is being taken quite seriously. Just the shade of blue is not the one I had initially dreamt of," he added.

Unmukt Chand had featured in 21 IPL matches, scoring 300 runs with only one half-century. His average in the cash-rich tournament was only 15 while his strike rate was 100.

Talking about his decision to go to the USA, Chand said, "These last few years have been tough. But I wasn't going to give up on cricket completely. If I wasn't getting enough opportunities to play in India, where were the next four or five crucial years of my career going to go? I still get emotional imagining that I will never get to play for India again. But I have made some special memories while playing in India."