IPL 2024: Dushmantha Chameera to play for Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders have roped in Sri Lanka speedster Dushmantha Chameera as a replacement for Gus Atkinson. The Englishman decided to withdraw from the IPL 2024 season as the England Cricket Board continues to manage his workload. This was his maiden IPL contract. Chameera will look to add value to KKR's relatively young pace attack. Here we decode his stats.
Why does this story matter?
KKR signed Atkinson at the auction for Rs. 1 crore and he was all set to play in his maiden IPL season. However, the ECB intervened and played a role in his withdrawal. Atkinson featured in the ICC World Cup last year followed by the white-ball series against West Indies in December. He is currently on the Indian tour with the England Test team.
Chameera has featured for three IPL teams
Chameera went unsold at the IPL 2024 auction. However, he has featured for the Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants in the past. The 32-year-old was signed by KKR as a replacement for Atkinson for Rs. 50 lakh. He featured in 12 IPL matches in total, all of which were for LSG in the 2022 season. He returned with nine wickets.
A look at Chameera's T20 numbers
Chameera has claimed 118 wickets in 119 T20 matches at an average of 28.36. The speedster has returned with four four-wicket hauls in this format. His economy rate of 7.98 is decent. 55 of his T20 scalps have come for the Lankans in T20Is at an average of 28.87. His best figures of 4/17 came against England in 2021.
His performance for Sri Lanka in T20Is
Chameera is the 4th-highest wicket-taker for the Lankan Lions in the shortest format of the game. His tally of 55 wickets puts him just behind the likes of Lasith Malinga (107), Wanindu Hasaranga (99), Ajantha Mendis, and Nuwan Kulasekara (joint-3rd with 66). Notably, these five bowlers are the only Lankan players with more than 50 wickets in this format.
Do you know?
Chameera has dismissed India's Rohit Sharma six times in 12 T20Is. This is the joint-most a bowler has dismissed a particular batter in T20Is among the Test-playing nations. Shoriful Islam has also claimed NZ dasher Finn Allen's wicket six times in nine T20Is.
