Favouritism heavy in KKR!! Aakash Chopra claims KKR picked Dushmantha Chameera because Gautam Gambhir likes him

Former Indian batter who has also played for IPL franchises like the Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals, Aakash Chopra feels that KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir deliberately chose Sri-Lankan pacer Dushmantha Chameera to replace England’s Gus Atkinson due to his likeness towards the former which developed during their time together in the Lucknow Super Giants camp.

Aakash Chopra also warned all the IPL franchises to buy England-based players at their own risk and somehow refrain from splashing heavy amounts, claiming they have a habit of leaving IPL mid-way through or changing their minds well before the tournament even starts.

He made these comments in his latest YouTube video and in the light of Gus Atkinson who was a 1 Crore buy from KKR during the IPL 2024 auction last December, informed that he will not feature in the upcoming edition. This would have been his first time experiencing the richest cricketing tournament in the world.

Atkinson had played 3 ICC Cricket World Cup matches for England who entered the 2023 edition as reigning champions and left after finishing below Pakistan and Afghanistan in the 7th spot to at least automatically qualify for the Champions Trophy next year. He is also a part of the England Test squad on a tour of India for a 5-match Test series but hasn’t played a single game.

His replacement – Dushmantha Chameera cost half of what KKR decided to pay for the Englishman i.e. INR 50 Lakhs. The Sri Lankan has experience of 12 IPL matches for LSG in 2022 and had worked closely alongside Gautam Gambhir before being released by the franchise ahead of the IPL 2023 auction.

Dushmantha Chameera is known for his ability to click 140 regularly and has 9 wickets at an economy rate of 8.73 from the 12 matches in the season LSG finished 3rd with 18 points. He had also played for Kolkata’s sister franchise Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the recently concluded ILT20 in UAE and Aakash Chopra is not surprised to see him arrive at KKR.

“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.” – Aakash Chopra said via his YouTube channel. 

“Be careful”, Aakash Chopra’s message to IPL franchises acquiring England players