R Ashwin Addresses Rumors and Doubts on CSK’s Signing of Dewald Brevis

Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin, a key player for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has issued a clarification about his comments concerning Dewald Brevis’s signing by CSK, which roused significant stir on social media. Ashwin had claimed CSK paid an “extra” sum to secure the South African batter, who had set a base price of INR 75 lakh for the mega auction. Despite not being picked in the auction, Brevis was signed by CSK as an injury replacement for Gurjapneet Singh in 2025.

CSK responded to the social media uproar by stating that they followed proper procedures when signing Brevis, adhering to all rules and regulations. The same amount of INR 2.20 crore, which was paid to Gurjapneet Singh, was offered to Brevis after Singh was ruled out of the 2025 IPL season.

Ashwin clarified that his comments were not implying any wrongdoing and merely stated facts. He felt his comments were blown out of proportion and misunderstood. Despite this, Ashwin complimented the batman and admitted that CSK has “struck gold” with Brevis, saying that he is a “power-striker” and a “monstrous hitter against spin”.

In response to CSK’s official statement, Ashwin said that the franchise had to clarify the situation due to public doubt about Brevis’s signing price. Ashwin assured that there was no wrongdoing on the part of the franchise, the player, or the governing body. He explained that the franchise communicates with the player and his agent and informs BCCI about any injuries and replacements.

Ashwin also talked about Brevis’s phenomenal performance lately, highlighting his maiden T20I century against Australia, followed by a half-century in the subsequent T20I. He ended by discussing the commonality of injury replacements in IPL and praised Brevis as a “special talent”, expressing excitement about his future performances.