Indian Premier League team Kolkata Knight Riders have named Sri Lankan pacer Dushmantha Chameera as the replacement for English fast bowler Gus Atkinson. Chameera has already played in the Indian Premier League and has been picked up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals, and Lucknow Super Giants in the past. Chameera has been one of the leading pacers of the Sri Lankan cricket team but has also been affected due to injuries.
Gus Atkinson was picked by the Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 1 crore. The Indian Premier League issued a press release for the same and informed about the development. The press release reads, “Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have named Dushmantha Chameera as a replacement for England pacer Gus Atkinson for the upcoming edition of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.”
Kolkata Knight Riders announce Dushmantha Chameera as replacement for Gus Atkinson
“Chameera will join KKR at a reserve price of INR 50 Lakh. The Sri Lankan speedster, who is known for his pace, and can trouble the batters with his swing and seam movements, was a part of Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2018 and 2021 IPL seasons, respectively. He represented Lucknow Super Giants in the 2022 season, where he picked up nine wickets from 12 matches.”
The Sri Lankan pacer has played a total of 12 matches for the Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League and has picked 9 wickets. Dushmantha Chameera’s IPL career has also been affected by injuries and has only played in the 2022 edition of the cash-rich league.
Dushmantha Chameera has been one of the lead pacers of the Sri Lankan cricket team. Chameera used to lead the Sri Lankan pace attack and has proved to be very effective for his national side. Chameera has missed many major tournaments such as the Asia Cup 2023 and the ODI World Cup 2023 due to his long run with injuries.
If Dushmantha Chameera gets a chance to play for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2024, he will add more power to the team’s bowling lineup. With the likes of Mitchell Starc, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Andre Russell, Chameera would surely prove to be very effective for the side.
The Kolkata Knight Riders are yet to win an IPL title in the past 10 years. KKR last won an IPL title in the year 2014 under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir has once again joined the KKR management and will serve as the mentor of the team.
Gautam Gambhir would once again give his contribution to help Kolkata Knight Riders win their 3rd title of the cash-rich league.
The 17th edition of the Indian Premier League is expected to start from the last week of March, however, the organisers are yet to release the dates of the cash-rich league. As per the reports, the dates will be released in phases due to the general elections in India.
Chennai Super Kings are the current champions of the Indian Premier League, and they would look forward to win yet another title this season.