Kolkata Knight Riders have signed Sri Lankan pacer Dushmantha Chameera for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. Chameera comes in place for England speedster Gus Atkinson for a reserve price of INR 5 million.
Chameera went unsold in the auctions held in December 2023, but will now play for KKR in his reserve price of INR 5 million.
Dushmantha Chameera played 12 matches for Lucknow Super Giants in the 2022 IPL and picked 9 wickets with an economy rate of well over 8.
However, Chameera has been injury-prone right throughout his career which has not helped his cause and he would be hoping that he makes an impact this time around in the biggest T20 league in the world.
As far as Gus Atkinson is concerned, IPL 2024 was supposed to be his first crack in the league but it seems that ECB wants him fresh and ready for the all-important T20 World Cup.
The T20 World Cup 2024 is set to start just after IPL and managing the workload of fast bowlers will be a key issue in the upcoming edition.
Chameera is a like-to-like replacement for Atkinson, as both are known for their raw pace and the Lankan pacer also brings more experience to the table having played most of his cricket in subcontinent conditions.
