Reportedly Sri Lanka pacer Dushmantha Chameera has been named as a replacement for Gus Atkinson by Kolkata Knight Riders for their upcoming season in the Indian Premier League.

Chameera to replace Atkinson

As per an IPL statement, Chameera will join KKR at a reserve price of INR 50 Lakh. Chameera has played 12 IPL games so far and taken nine wickets at an economy rate of 8.73. He has been part of Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and most recently for Lucknow Super Giants in 2022 in the Indian Premier League.

“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,” the IPL release said.

“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,” it further added.

What happened to Atkinson?

On the other hand, the 26-year-old pacer from England, Atkinson has withdrawn from the TATA IPL 2024 with the English Cricket Board managing his schedule. Atkinson was about to play his first IPL. After Atkinson’s withdrawal, apart from Chameera, Mitchell Starc is the only overseas frontline quick in the KKR squad. Kolkata Knight Riders bought Starc for a record price of Rs 24.75 crore.

While Chameera will be an additional strength for KKR, the Sri Lanka pacer is injured at this moment. However, according to Sri Lanka’s team manager Mahinda Halangoda, “He’s feeling better now, but we won’t know for sure the exact nature of his injury until we hear back from the specialist,”