Senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has clarified his statement about Chennai Super Kings’(CSK) signing of the latest South African sensation Dewald Brevis. Ashwin emphasised that his focal point was the South African youngster’s batting performance and not the price at which he was acquired midway through this year’s IPL by the Super Kings.
It brought about a controversy erupted when Ashwin, who represented the Super Kings in this year’s IPL, hinted on his YouTube channel that the five-time champions were willing to pay “extra” to avail Brevis’ services. The franchise issued a clarification thereafter.
“My intent in the old video was to talk about Brevis’ batting, not about his IPL signing amount. We have to understand that every player who plays in the IPL has a contract with the franchise and the tournament.
“The franchise and the IPL have a binding contract, and if there is anything wrong, it won’t be ratified,” Ashwin said.
Underlining his point, Ashwin also termed Brevis a “special talent.”
“Injury replacements are very common in the IPL. It is about how you go about the rule flexibility. That is the point.
“If you are a CSK and South Africa fan, then it is time to be extremely excited about Brevis. He is a special talent,” Ashwin added.
CSK, in their clarification on Saturday, had stated: “Chennai Super Kings categorically clarifies that all actions taken by the franchise during the signing process of Dewald Brevis as a replacement player during TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 were in complete compliance with the rules and regulations of IPL.
“In April 2025, Dewald Brevis was signed for a league fee of ₹2.2 crore as a replacement player for the injured Gurjapneet Singh, who was picked up at the IPL 2025 Player auction held at Abadi AI Johar Arena, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for a price of ₹2.2 crore.”
Ashwin then went on to describe the need to issue a clarification on his earlier statement.
“In today’s time, there is a need to clarify the right things as well. There is no mistake by anyone; clarification on this matter has arisen from the fact that a lot of people have doubts.
“The fact is that no mistake has been made by the franchise, the player and the governing body,” Ashwin noted.
The former India off-spinner again stressed his point about the signing of Brevis, terming it a “mind-boggling” feat by the Super Kings.
“The way Brevis is batting, CSK has struck gold. The decision to bring him on board is very good.
“The franchise has struck gold during the purple patch of Brevis.
“He has been batting really well. He hits big sixes. A power-striker, a monstrous hitter against spin,” Ashwin lauded the youngster.