Who is Nikhil Chaudhary? 5 interesting facts about Hobart Hurricanes batter playing in BBL 2023-24

Hobart Hurricanes, who were beaten by Perth Scorchers by a mere nine runs in their BBL clash at the Perth Stadium on Wednesday, sprung a surprise when they decided to field India-born Nikhil Chaudhary in their lineup.

Chaudhary, the Hobart Hurricanes player from the Big Bash League (BBL), is on trial in Townsville, Queensland after pleading not guilty to one count of rape. Chaudhary was charged after an allegation that he sexually assaulted a woman during a night out on Townsville's nightclub strip back in May 2021.

In BBL 2023-24, the 27-year-old scored 154 runs in six innings at an average of 25.66 and a strike rate of 142.59, with one half-century. With the ball, he claimed five wickets at an average of 27.4 and an economy rate of 7.21

The batting all-rounder, who walked in at No. 6, repaid the faith shown in him by the franchise by striking six boundaries on his way to 40 off just 31 balls. He missed out on a well-deserved half-century on debut when he was bowled by tall left-arm seamer Jason Behrendorff.

Nikhil Chaudhary got an opportunity to turn his arm over as well, and in the one over he bowled, he conceded five runs.

In this listicle, we bring to you five interesting facts about the Hobart Hurricanes batter playing in BBL 2023-24:

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#1 He was born in Delhi

Chaudhary was born in Delhi, India on May 4, 1996. He is among the latest Indian-Australian cricketers to have turned out in the Big Bash League.

With his birthplace being the capital city of the country, Chaudhary undoubtedly has Indian citizenship.

It is not yet clear if he has been given Australian citizenship, but there is no fact disputing Chaudhary's birthplace being Delhi.

With this interesting statistic, he becomes perhaps one of the few players to have been born in India who are playing in the BBL.

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#2 He made his T20 debut for Punjab

Nikhil Chaudhary addressing a fan.

What a lot of people do not know is that Chaudhary made his T20 debut for Punjab in the 2016-17 Inter-State T20 tournament.

For those not in the know, that tournament was played only that season in place of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which is the premier domestic T20 competition in India.

Chaudhary made his debut for Punjab and went on to make 12 appearances for the state.

He has an average of just above 20 in T20 cricket with the bat and 30 with the ball. His leg-breaks have often won him plaudits.

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#3 He has played grade cricket in Brisbane

After moving to Australia, Chaudhary played grade cricket in Brisbane, from where he was scouted by the Hobart Hurricanes.

He has reportedly done extremely well in grade cricket, which led to his being picked for the Hobart-based franchise.

It must be noted that grade cricket in Brisbane, Queensland, is played at quite a high standard. Chaudhary has to be commended for performing well there and paving a path for himself into the Hurricanes' side.

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#4 He left India three years ago to chase his cricketing dreams

Disenchanted with the corruption of the cricket system in India, Chaudhary left the country three years ago to pursue his career in Australia.

Although he had quite a few setbacks when he moved Down Under, he was able to perform well for his grade side in Brisbane.

This ultimately led to his being selected for the Hobart Hurricanes. Chaudhary is known to have a wide array of shots and that is what worked in his favor ahead of the ongoing BBL season.

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#5 He last played a SMAT game in November 2019

Chaudhary last played a competitive match in India when he turned out for Punjab in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on November 27, 2019, against Mumbai in Surat.

He scored five runs in that game and ended up with figures of 0-33. It was soon after this that he chose to move to Australia.

Chaudhary has also played two List A matches for Punjab in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which is India's premier one-day domestic tournament. The two games came against Haryana and Odisha in 2017.