Published: Feb 19, 2024, 06:25 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 19, 2024, 06:25 PM (IST)
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have signed Sri Lankan fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera as a replacement for England pacer Gus Atkinson for the IPL 2024 season.
The official reason for Atkinson’s departure from the competition has not yet been announced. However, the Knight Riders have signed Chameera for a basic fee of INR 50 lakh, according to a media announcement on the IPL’s official X (previously Twitter) account.
Gus Atkinson is the second England pacer to miss out on the 2024 IPL season. Mark Wood will also miss this season of the showpiece event, as the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have replaced him with West Indies star Shamar Joseph.
Chameera was also a part of LSG before
Gautam Gambhir, the KKR coach, was a member of the LSG thought tank when Dushmantha Chameera played his sole IPL season a few years back. Despite previously being part of the Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore squads, Chameera broke through at LSG and performed admirably in the IPL 2022 season.
In 12 matches, he took nine wickets at an economy rate of 8.73. His sheer speed and ability to attack with the new ball may have made him an excellent substitute for Atkinson at KKR. If he can avoid injuries, Chameera may be an excellent choice.
Gambhir might have had a say in it, as he aims to restore the Knight Riders to their former grandeur, this time as a mentor. KKR finished sixth in the IPL 2023 season, with six victories. With huge players like Shreyas Iyer looking to return, the Knight Riders will attempt to go to the IPL 2024 playoffs and beyond.
KKR’s updated squad: Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sunil Narine, Jason Roy, Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, KS Bharat, Chetan Sakariya, Mitchell Starc, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Sherfane Rutherford, Manish Pandey, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Sakib Hussain & Dushmantha Chameera.
