"Gautam Gambhir likes Dushmantha Chameera a lot" - Aakash Chopra on KKR signing Sri Lankan seamer as Gus Atkinson's replacement for IPL 2024

Aakash Chopra reckons Gautam Gambhir's fondness for Dushmantha Chameera might have made the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) sign the Sri Lankan seamer for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024).

Gambhir, KKR's two-time IPL-winning skipper, has rejoined the franchise as a mentor. The Kolkata-based team recently acquired Chameera for ₹50 lakh as a replacement for Gus Atkinson.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra noted that he wasn't surprised by KKR's acquisition of Chameera. He reasoned (3:35):

"KKR have signed Dushmantha Chameera. I am not surprised because Gautam Gambhir likes Dushmantha Chameera a lot. He was there in his Lucknow franchise (Lucknow Super Giants) when he was with Lucknow and now that he is with Kolkata, he has taken him there as well."

The former India opener pointed out that Chameera fared decently in the recently concluded edition of the ILT20 league.

"He (Chameera) has been doing well. He is a good bowler. I was recently seeing his matches in the ILT20. He picks up two wickets in a match. When he plays in the IPL, the performance might not be that fantastic, but he is a very decent bowler," Chopra added.

Chameera picked up nine wickets at an economy rate of 8.73 in 12 games for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2022. The right-arm pacer picked up 10 wickets at an economy rate of 7.19 in seven matches for the Dubai Capitals in the ILT20 league this year.

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"If you sign England players for the IPL, do it at your own peril" - Aakash Chopra on Gus Atkinson opting out of IPL 2024

KKR signed Gus Atkinson for ₹1 crore at the IPL 2024 auction. [P/C: Getty]

Aakash Chopra urged IPL franchises to be wary of signing England players. He elaborated (3:05):

"If you sign England players for the IPL, do it at your own peril because a lot of them leave. Either they don't come at all or leave halfway through the tournament, or something else happens. This has happened many times and continues to happen. So be careful while signing them."

The reputed commentator observed that Gus Atkinson has pulled out of IPL 2024 despite being fit and available for the ongoing Test series between India and England.

"Gus Atkinson is not coming. He is a part of the Test team at the moment for sure, hasn't played a Test match thus far, but might play the next match as Jimmy Anderson might not play there," Chopra stated.

Atkinson is yet to make his Test debut. The right-arm seamer has picked up six wickets at an economy rate of 9.50 in three T20Is apart from 11 scalps in nine ODIs at 6.09 runs per over.