Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has shared his thoughts on Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) mid-season acquisition of Dewald Brevis during IPL 2025. Ashwin, aged 38, emphasized that no one was to blame for the situation, pointing out that injury replacements have consistently been a part of the IPL. He explained that all teams are utilizing the flexibility offered by the league’s injury replacement rules.
On August 16, CSK released an official statement asserting that the franchise followed fair process in signing the hard-hitting South African batter. Addressing the controversy on his YouTube channel “Ash ki Baat,” Ashwin remarked:
“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.”
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“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,” he added.
Ashwin Tells Past Instances
“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,” added the veteran spinner.
Ashwin On Brevis
Ashwin also highlighted Brevis’ recent performances with the bat against Australia, suggesting both South Africa and CSK fans have reason to be thrilled. He believes that Brevis is the sort of player capable of leading his teams to victory in major competitions:
“If you are a South Africa fan or a CSK fan, it is time to be absolutely excited for Dewald Brevis. Dewald Brevis is a special talent, there is no doubt about it. I think he is going to have some fabulous performances and he is going to be in some teams that will go on to win some competitions,” Ashwin said.
Praising Brevis for his exploits against Australia, Ashwin described how CSK had made a shrewd move by signing the batter while he was in peak form. He also hinted that South Africa could be a strong contender at the T20 World Cup in the subcontinent in 2026.
Brevis stood out as the top run-scorer in the three-match T20I series against Australia, amassing 180 runs at a strike rate of 204.55, including 13 fours and 14 sixes. Despite the heroics SA Lost the series 2-1 on the backs of Tim David’s Power Hitting & Glenn Maxwell’s Clutch knock in third T20I.