R Ashwin clarifies Dewald Brevis signing controversy, reminds critics of RCB’s similar moves

Dewald Brevis was roped in by the Chennai Super Kings midway in IPL 2025 (PTI Photo)

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin set off a debate after suggesting that Chennai Super Kings may have stretched their purse slightly to bring in South African talent Dewald Brevis as an injury replacement in IPL 2025. Brevis, who replaced Gurjapneet Singh, joined the squad for Rs 2.2 crore despite being unsold at the auction where his base price was just Rs 75 lakh.

Ashwin explained that in such situations, players and their representatives often negotiate for higher sums since being picked outside the auction can sometimes prove more profitable than being bought during it. His comments, however, created enough buzz to push CSK into releasing a clarification on the matter.

"We live in such times where we have to clarify even true stories. In that way, it is a bit tricky. But I won't go there. There is no one at fault here. The clarification here on this matter has arisen from the fact that a lot of people have doubts. The point is the player is not at fault, the franchise is not at fault, and maybe the governing body is also not at fault. All of us need to understand that if a franchise needs a player, the franchise talks to the player or the player's agent and tells the BCCI, 'Look, so-and-so player of ours is injured, we need another player. ' The matter gets closed there," Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel.

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Addressing the row, Ashwin emphasized that there was no irregularity in the signing, stressing that the IPL Governing Council itself had to approve the deal. He also drew parallels to past instances, such as Royal Challengers Bengaluru securing Chris Gayle mid-season under similar circumstances.

"The IPL or those who need to give approval give the approval, and the player comes and plays. If there was any fault here, that player would not have played in the franchise. This is not about Brevis; it is generally the case. There is one other thing I want to explain. My intention in the video was to describe how well Brevis was batting. We have to understand that every player who plays in the IPL has a tri-parted contract: The player, franchise, and the IPL have a binding contract."

"So if something is wrong with it, it won't get ratified. That is why, probably, the tweet that said clause so-and-so makes complete sense. The flexibility that is there with the IPL's injury replacement, everyone is making use of it. It is not only CSK who have picked a replacement; there have been several other teams. RCB have taken Chris Gayle in the past, and he became a superstar. Injury replacements are a common facet of the IPL, and even in that, the rule flexibility that you have, how you make use of that, within the limit, you can use it. That is the point," said Ashwin.

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In the end, Ashwin lauded CSK’s move, insisting the franchise had unearthed a gem in Brevis despite him arriving as a replacement player.

"I watch a lot more cricket. I don't pay too much attention to these things (on the Brevis-CSK controversy). Nowadays, we make YouTube videos, and we give our opinion in these videos. The ones who watch the videos don't tend to do anything out of the ordinary. The ones who don't watch the videos can read the statement and twist the story. Unfortunately, in today's times, folks can watch smaller videos, read shorter headlines. There is nothing wrong there. Dewald Brevis is a fabulous player, and the way he is batting, CSK has struck gold. Whoever has made the decision they have taken a fabulous decision," said Ashwin.