Dushmantha Chameera brings genuine pace to Akcel United Kabul in APL T20 2026 — a Diamond pick, a five-for in every international format, and 100 T20I wickets.
Born
11 January 1992, Ragama
Role
Bowler
Batting
Right hand
Bowling
Right-arm fast
5/24
Maiden T20I five-for vs England (Pallekele 2026)
100
T20I wickets, third Sri Lankan to the mark (Oct 2026)
He was 26 when the first APL season was played in October 2018 — a
Sri Lanka international who had already played in a World Cup and
made his Test debut. His name appears in none of the five 2018
squads, so 2026 is his APL debut, eight years after the league
began.
APL Career
Dushmantha Chameera did not play in the first APL season in 2018.
He was 26 when the tournament was played in Sharjah that October,
already a Sri Lanka international with a World Cup and a Test debut
behind him, and his name appears in none of the five squads. The
overseas quicks that season were men like Sohail Tanvir, Wayne
Parnell, Tymal Mills and Wahab Riaz. When Akcel United Kabul picked
him at the Dubai draft, it was a debut eight years in the making,
not a return.
Akcel United Kabul took him in the Diamond round at the player
draft in Dubai on 3 November 2026, at the Diamond price of
US$65,000. He plays under captain Rashid Khan, with Shane
McDermott as head coach and Nikhil Chopra as mentor, and the
season starts on 27 December 2026 in the UAE. He arrives as the
most experienced overseas quick in the draft: 84 T20Is for Sri
Lanka, 100 wickets in the format, a five-wicket haul in every
international format, and an IPL winner's medal with Kolkata Knight
Riders.
Akcel United Kabul are a new club for 2026, not a continuation of
the 2018 Kabul Zwanan, so Chameera has no old APL record to defend.
His job is the one he has done everywhere else: take the new ball,
swing it into the right-handers, and bowl the hard overs at the
death for a side built around Rashid Khan's spin.
APL career stats
Chameera has no APL figures yet. The 2026 season has not started,
so the rows below are blank, and there is no 2018 row — he did not
play in the first season. His international and domestic figures
are in Career outside APL.
5 for 24 in four overs — his maiden T20I five-for and his
career-best figures in the format. He struck with the second
ball of the innings, pinning Ben Duckett lbw for a golden
duck, then removed Will Jacks, Liam Dawson and Jamie Overton,
and finished the job by dismissing Sam Curran for 58 off the
last ball. England were held to 128 for 9.
Why it mattered: he became only the fifth Sri Lankan to take
a five-wicket haul in T20Is, after Lasith Malinga, Rangana
Herath, Nuwan Thushara and Ajantha Mendis, and it was his
maiden five-for in T20 cricket of any kind. It was also his
first game of the series. Sri Lanka still lost by 12 runs and
England completed a 3-0 whitewash — the five-for was a lone
hand, not a match-winner.
3rd ODI vs Bangladesh, 28 May 2021, Dhaka
5 for 16 from nine overs — his maiden ODI five-for and still
his best figures in the format. Three wickets for 11 runs in
his first six-over spell broke the top order, and he finished
with 5 for 16 as Bangladesh were bowled out for 189. Sri
Lanka, led by Kusal Perera's 120, had made 286 for 6 and won
by 97 runs.
Why it mattered: he was named Player of the Match, and the win
ended a run of five straight ODI defeats for Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh still took the series 2-1, but the consolation win
was built on Chameera's spell, and it remains the best ODI
bowling of his career.
2nd Test vs New Zealand, 19 December 2015, Hamilton
5 for 47 off 12.4 overs — his maiden Test five-for, in only his
fourth Test, at 23. New Zealand had reached 81 without loss in
reply to Sri Lanka's 292; Chameera took three wickets in four
overs after lunch, including Latham, Williamson and Taylor, and
the hosts closed on 232 for 9, bowling at up to 146 kph.
Why it mattered: it was the spell that announced him as a Test
bowler, and it is still his only Test five-for — his last Test
came in November 2021. A year that had begun with a World Cup
debut ended with a five-wicket haul against the best batting
side in the world at the time.
T20 World Cup vs UAE, 18 October 2022, Geelong
3 for 15 in a 79-run win that kept Sri Lanka's World Cup
campaign alive. He took the first three wickets of the UAE
innings inside his first two overs, and the Emiratis never
recovered from 21 for 4, bowled out for 73 in reply to Sri
Lanka's 152 for 8.
Why it mattered: it was the last spell of his tournament. He
pulled up with a torn calf muscle while bowling the final over
of his spell and was ruled out of the World Cup the next day,
replaced by Kasun Rajitha. The three wickets showed what Sri
Lanka were about to lose.
3rd ODI vs Bangladesh, 8 July 2025, Pallekele
3 for 51 in eight overs on his return to international cricket
after more than a year on the sidelines. He bowled Najmul
Hossain Shanto for a duck with a ball that jagged back sharply,
then bowled Towhid Hridoy for 51 with an inswinger that crashed
through the gate. Sri Lanka won by 99 runs to take the series
2-1, and he made 10 not out off eight balls as well.
Why it mattered: it was the comeback spell after the injury
years — ankle surgery, a torn pectoral muscle, a shoulder
injury and a respiratory infection had kept him out since June
2023. The Cricbuzz commentary still clocked him at 146 kph:
the pace, at 33, was intact.
Playing style and strengths
Chameera is a right-arm fast bowler who does his best work with
the new ball. His stock delivery is the inswinger to the
right-hander, the ball that bowled Ross Taylor with a 146 kph
delivery in his first over on ODI debut, and that bowled Najmul
Hossain Shanto and Towhid Hridoy in his comeback match at
Pallekele in July 2025. At the death he has the full set of
variations: the slower ball that dismissed Liam Dawson at
Pallekele in February 2026, the legcutters that undid Jamie
Overton in the same over, and the wide yorkers that sealed his
five-for against Sam Curran.
The pace is real — he was tipped from his debut as the fastest
bowler Sri Lanka had produced, and he was still being clocked at
146 kph at 33. What has held him back is not the bowling but the
body: ankle and calf injuries cost him the Asia Cup and the T20
World Cup in 2022, a torn pectoral muscle and a shoulder injury
cost him the 2023 ODI World Cup, and a respiratory infection kept
him out in July 2024. When the ball does not move he can be
expensive, too — his IPL economy is 9.70 across 20 matches. With
the bat he is a handy lower-order hitter, 10 not out off eight
balls in the Pallekele decider, but a tail-ender by trade: his
Test average is 5.47.
Records and milestones
A five-wicket haul in every international format: 5 for 47 in
Tests against New Zealand at Hamilton in 2015, 5 for 16 in ODIs
against Bangladesh at Dhaka in 2021, and 5 for 24 in T20Is
against England at Pallekele in 2026.
100 T20I wickets: the third Sri Lankan to the mark, after Lasith
Malinga and Wanindu Hasaranga — reached on 9 October 2026 by
dismissing Hasan Nawaz against Pakistan at Rawalpindi, in his
84th T20I.
Maiden T20I five-for: 5 for 24 against England at Pallekele,
3 February 2026 — the fifth Sri Lankan to take a five-wicket
haul in T20Is, and his maiden five-for in T20 cricket of any
kind.
Maiden ODI five-for: 5 for 16 against Bangladesh at Dhaka,
28 May 2021 — Player of the Match, ending a run of five
straight ODI defeats for Sri Lanka.
Maiden Test five-for: 5 for 47 against New Zealand at Hamilton,
19 December 2015 — in his fourth Test, aged 23, bowling at up
to 146 kph.
T20 World Cup 2026: six matches, 10 wickets — Sri Lanka's
second-highest wicket-taker at the tournament, with a best of
3 for 38 against New Zealand in the Super 8 at Colombo.
IPL winner's medal with Kolkata Knight Riders, 2024 — he played
one match for the champions, signed as a replacement for Gus
Atkinson.
World Cup debut: 3 for 51 against Scotland at Hobart,
11 March 2015, after being called into the squad as a
replacement for the injured Dhammika Prasad.
First international wicket: Ross Taylor, bowled by a 146 kph
delivery in his first over on ODI debut, Wellington,
29 January 2015.
Career record as of November 2026: 12 Tests, 32 wickets;
61 ODIs, 70 wickets; 84 T20Is, 100 wickets; 211 wickets
in T20 cricket overall.
Diamond pick at US$65,000 for Akcel United Kabul at the APL
2026 draft.
Career outside APL
Chameera came through at Nondescripts Cricket Club, and an
outstanding domestic season in 2013–14 earned him a place in Sri
Lanka's Test squad for the New Zealand tour at the end of 2014,
although he did not play a Test on that tour. The international
debuts all came in 2015, at 23: an ODI against New Zealand at
Wellington in January, where his first wicket was Ross Taylor,
bowled by a 146 kph delivery in his first over; a World Cup debut
against Scotland at Hobart in March, 3 for 51; a Test debut
against Pakistan at Colombo in June, with match figures of 4 for
76; and a T20I debut against West Indies at Pallekele in
November, 1 for 30. The year ended with his maiden Test five-for,
5 for 47 against New Zealand at Hamilton in December.
The next six years brought his best spells and his worst injuries
in equal measure. The 4 for 17 against England at Southampton in
June 2021 was a death-bowling masterclass, and the 5 for 16
against Bangladesh at Dhaka a month earlier remains his best ODI
figures. Then the body gave way: ankle and calf injuries cost him
the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup in 2022 — he took 3 for 15
against UAE at Geelong and then tore his calf in the same spell —
and a torn pectoral muscle and a shoulder injury in 2023 cost him
the World Cup qualifier and the ODI World Cup itself. He was
named in the squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup but did not play a
match, and a respiratory infection ruled him out of the home
series against India that July.
The return began in July 2025, against Bangladesh: 1 for 37 in
Colombo, then 3 for 51 in the Pallekele decider, still bowling at
146 kph. In November 2025 he took 4 for 20 against Pakistan at
Rawalpindi to carry Sri Lanka into a tri-series final. In
February 2026 came the 5 for 24 against England at Pallekele, his
maiden T20I five-for, and at the T20 World Cup that followed he
took 10 wickets in six matches, including 3 for 38 against New
Zealand in the Super 8. His 100th T20I wicket came in October
2026, against Pakistan at Rawalpindi.
As of November 2026 he had played 12 Tests, taking 32 wickets at
41.28 with a best of 5 for 47; 61 ODIs, taking 70 wickets at
34.39 with a best of 5 for 16; and 84 T20Is, taking 100 wickets
with a best of 5 for 24. In first-class cricket he had 106
wickets in 45 matches at 34.61, with a best of 5 for 42. In T20
cricket overall he had 211 wickets, with a best of 5 for 24.
Away from Sri Lanka duty he has played in three franchise leagues.
In the IPL he was bought by Rajasthan Royals in 2018 and included
in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad in 2021 without playing a
match for either; his debut came with Lucknow Super Giants in
2022, 12 matches and nine wickets for ₹2.00 crore. Kolkata Knight
Riders signed him as a replacement for Gus Atkinson in 2024 — one
match, and an IPL winner's medal. Delhi Capitals bought him for
₹75 lakh in 2025 and retained him for the same price in 2026. In
the ILT20 he has played for Dubai Capitals since 2023, taking 23
wickets in 16 matches with a best of 4 for 28. In the Lanka
Premier League he played for Kandy Falcons in 2023–24 — six
wickets in five matches in 2024 — and joined Dambulla Sixers in
2026. He has not played in the Big Bash or The Hundred.
Which team does Dushmantha Chameera play for in APL 2026?
Akcel United Kabul. The side took him in the Diamond round at the player draft in Dubai on 3 November 2026, at the Diamond price of US$65,000. He plays under captain Rashid Khan, with Shane McDermott as head coach and Nikhil Chopra as mentor. The season starts on 27 December 2026 in the UAE.
Did Dushmantha Chameera play in APL 2018?
No. He was 26 when the first season was played in Sharjah in October 2018, and his name appears in none of the five squads. He was already a Sri Lanka international by then, having played in the 2015 World Cup and made his Test debut that year, but no APL side picked him. So 2026 is his APL debut, not a return.
What are Dushmantha Chameera's best bowling figures?
He has a five-wicket haul in every international format. In Tests his best is 5 for 47 against New Zealand at Hamilton in December 2015, in his fourth Test. In ODIs it is 5 for 16 against Bangladesh at Dhaka in May 2021. In T20Is it is 5 for 24 against England at Pallekele in February 2026, his maiden five-for in the format.
How many T20I wickets has Dushmantha Chameera taken?
One hundred, in 84 matches. He reached the mark on 9 October 2026, dismissing Hasan Nawaz in the first T20I against Pakistan at Rawalpindi, and became the third Sri Lankan to 100 T20I wickets, after Lasith Malinga and Wanindu Hasaranga. He had taken ten wickets at the 2026 T20 World Cup earlier that year.
Which IPL teams has Dushmantha Chameera played for?
Lucknow Super Giants in 2022, when he made his IPL debut and took nine wickets in 12 matches; Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024, for whom he played one match and won an IPL winner's medal; and Delhi Capitals in 2025 and 2026. He was also in the Rajasthan Royals squad in 2018 and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad in 2021 without playing a match.
