IPL 2022: LSG pacer Dushmantha Chameera regains fitness ahead of the season

The Lucknow Super Giants are all geared up for their maiden season in the IPL 2022. However, they have received a huge setback just days before the commencement of the tournament as England pacer Mark Wood has been ruled out after sustaining an elbow injury during the first Test against the West Indies. A replacement is yet to be named.

Nonetheless, the new entrants can also heave a sigh of relief as another overseas bowler of theirs – Dushmantha Chameera is set to be available for selection right from the start of the marquee tournament, which gets underway on March 26. The Sri Lankan pacer did not feature in the recently-concluded two-match Test series against India due to an ankle injury, which has put him out of action from red-ball cricket for a while.

Dushmantha Chameera reportedly set to play in IPL 2022

According to reports in ESPN cricinfo, Chameera has regained fitness and will be available for selection in IPL 2022. While the ankle injury has sidelined him from the longest format for several months, it has now been learned that the promising bowler’s workload is being managed till the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia in October-November this year. Hence, he will only be featuring in white-ball matches for the Lankan Lions.

Dushmantha Chameera was roped in by LSG for INR 2 crore after an aggressive bidding war with the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the two-day mega auction in Bengaluru last month. Thus, the Sri Lankan pace sensation will be making his debut in the Indian Premier League. The 30-year-old is known for his raw pace along with well-disguised yorkers and can be a really handy bowler both in the powerplay overs and in the death overs.

In the absence of Mark Wood, the onus will be on Chameera to make the ball do the talking along with the likes of West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder, Australia’s T20 World Cup-winning all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, India’s emerging pacer, Avesh Khan, etc. The Lucknow Super Giants will begin their IPL 2022 campaign against Gujarat Titans at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on  March 28.