South African batting legend AB de Villiers has clarified his comments on the move by Chennai Super Kings to make Dewald Brevis their signing last season. His previous comment on the move by CSK as a masterstroke was controversial as some people raised questions as to whether the signing was in accordance to IPL rules.
AB de Villiers on Dewald Brevis Talent
De Villiers has been able to clear the air by indicating that his statements were meant to the potential of Brevis and not the rules of the league. The child had not been sold at the IPL 2025 auction and could only feature in case of an injury.
CSK included Brevis when pacer Gurjanpreet Singh suffered a small injury. Shortly afterwards, Singh was caught in a practice game bowling, which contributed to the fact that CSK had discovered a loophole to acquire the South African batter.
“I purely just wanted to say that a lot of teams missed out, and I think that was the message from me,” de Villiers said. “People, organisers of the IPL franchises, the owners, whoever, the scouts, I felt got it horribly wrong in that main auction, not picking him up. What a fantastic opportunity they had,” he added.
CSK Move Raises Questions
The AB de Villiers comment has received further publicity when Ravichandran Ashwin posted to his YouTube channel that CSK were ready to pay an additional amount. This created speculations of possible payments under the carpet, something not allowed in the IPL.
CSK was fast to release a statement that it had included Brevis in full accordance with league rules. Subsequently, Ashwin further clarified that he was talking of the capability of Brevis and not the misdeed of the franchise.
Missed Chance for RCB and MI
AB de Villiers states that a number of teams missed a golden opportunity at the auction. “I think teams like RCB, obviously, he was at MI before, they decided to let go of him and not get him back. So, big loss I feel for a lot of teams, and he’s showing that now. My tweet was all about, sort of, just showing how capable this guy is, how talented he is,” de Villiers stated.
He also said that his post was misconstrued. “I also tweeted about him being picked up at the IPL or not being picked up initially, and then getting into CSK’s team because of an injury. I thought maybe some people misunderstood my tweet. It had nothing to do with any technical or anything to do with the rules of the IPL.”
CSK Can Retain Brevis Next Season
The injury replacement route has now seen the signing of Dewald Brevis to CSK roster next season. According to the rules of IPL, franchises can have such players permanently, even when they were not purchased during the auction.
The clarification by AB de Villiers has shifted the centre of focus back to promise rather than controversy by Brevis. In the case of CSK, what is initially a temporary fix might become a long term benefit.
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