| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 4 May 1996 Delhi, India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm Off break | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | All-Rounder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016/17–2018/19 | Punjab | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023/24– | Hobart Hurricanes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source:ESPNcricinfo,29 December 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nikhil Chaudhary (born 4 May 1996) is an Indian-Australian cricketer. He currently plays in the Big Bash League (BBL) for the Hobart Hurricanes. He is only the second India-born cricketer to play in the BBL,following Unmukt Chand. [1]
Chaudhary was born in Delhi,India. [2] Chaudhary moved to Punjab in his early years. [1] Initially aspiring to be a fast bowler,he later shifted to offspin and ultimately to legspin,while also developing as an aggressive batsman. [1]
By 2017,Chaudhary had emerged in Indian domestic cricket as a batting all-rounder. He made his Twenty20 debut for Punjab in the 2016–17 Inter State Twenty-20 Tournament on 29 January 2017. [3] Despite training under cricketers such as Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh in Punjab,his career in India did not lead to an IPL selection,with unsuccessful trials at Mumbai Indians. [1]
His career took a turn when he was stranded in Brisbane during the COVID-19 pandemic while he was on a travel visa. [1] During this period,he actively participated in club cricket,gaining notice for his performance,especially in a semi-final where he hit seven sixes. [1] The performance led to his inclusion in the BBL after a recommendation from a local coach. [1] During this period,he also worked various jobs in Brisbane,including a brief period at a Mexican restaurant and a longer tenure as a courier with Australia Post to support himself. [1]
In 2023,after playing grade cricket in Brisbane, [4] Chaudhary joined the Hobart Hurricanes of the Big Bash League for the 2023–24 season. [5] [6]
In March 2024,Chaudhary stood trial in the District Court of Queensland on a charge of raping a woman in his car in Townsville in 2021,and was found not guilty. The Hobart Hurricanes said they were unaware of the charges before the trial started. [7] [8]