Ashwin said CSK might have found a gem in Dewald Brevis when they signed him as an injury replacement during the IPL.
Ashwin hinted that CSK might have bent the rules a bit to get Brevis, maybe paid him more than his base price to get him.
Officially, CSK signed Brevis for his base price of 2.2 crores, according to an IPL statement. He was brought in to replace injured fast bowler Gurjapneet Singh. The young South African played 6 games for the team, scored 225 runs at 180 SR.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said CSK gave Brevis some extra money on top of his base price. He said other teams wanted Brevis and his agent asked for more money.
Ashwin said, Let me tell you something about Brevis. He had a good time with CSK last IPL. Several teams were interested in him. Some teams decided not to sign him because of the price. Officially he was supposed to sign as a replacement at his base price. But what happens is you talk to the agents and the player says, ‘If you give me X amount extra, I will come.’
Ashwin continued, This happens because the player figures that if he’s released next season, he’ll get a good price anyway. So he thinks, ‘Pay me well now or I’ll go for more next year.’ CSK was willing to pay him so he agreed to come. Later on CSK had a strong combination. They’ll have 30 crores for the IPL 2026 mini-auction.
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CSK signed Brevis on April 18 during the IPL 2025 season because Chennai was struggling with their batting and needed new players. They signed both Ayush Mhatre and Brevis as replacements and saw positive results towards the end of the season.
The question is, is paying Dewald Brevis extra money ethical?
The Indian Premier League has a structured auction system where teams have a budget to build their squad. To keep things fair, teams must have a minimum number of players. The issue with these unofficial deals is that they undermine the purpose of having a budget which in this case is 120 crores. If Ashwin is correct then teams that do this have an advantage at the auction. They can buy players for less than what they are worth.
In Brevis’s case CSK paid 2.2 crores officially but the actual amount could be more. If other teams are doing the same then it changes the landscape. Ashwin’s comments suggest there’s a problem with the franchise model that the BCCI needs to look into.
