Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday named Dushmantha Chameera as a replacement for England pacer Gus Atkinson. (Courtesy: IPL/BCCI)
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday named Dushmantha Chameera as a replacement for England pacer Gus Atkinson for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Atkinson, who was bought at the IPL auction for INR 1 crore, has withdrawn from the tournament, with ECB managing his schedule.
Chameera will join KKR at a reserve price of INR 50 Lakh. The Sri Lankan speedster is known for his searing pace and wicket-taking abilities. Chameera has come up the ranks and grown as a bowler in the past couple of years, to become an integral part of any team he represents.
“The speedster will add a lot of depth to a versatile pace-bowling unit of the Knight Riders and will be an exciting addition to the squad,” the franchise said in a media release.
The 32-year-old has featured in the IPL with Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants in the past. He has played 12 IPL matches, scalping nine wickets at an economy rate of 8.73. The Sri Lankan will join the likes of Australian pace great Mitchell Starc in the KKR set up. They are the only two overseas frontline seamers in the squad.
In the T20s, Chameera has made 119 appearances and scalped 118 wickets at an average of 28.36. He has four four-wicket hauls to his name and can bowl at 140 kmph regularly.
IPL is likely to get underway from March 22. The final schedule will be announced after the polling dates for India”s general election is announced by the Election Commission.
