Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have denied Ravichandran Ashwin’s claim that the franchise paid above the base price to sign Dewald Brevis as a replacement player in the 2025 Indian Premier League.
The clarification followed remarks made by the veteran spinner on his YouTube channel. Ashwin had suggested that CSK were willing to go beyond the South African batter’s base price of ₹75 lakh to secure him.
In a statement, the franchise rejected the suggestion. “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,” the team said.
CSK added that the signing was carried out in line with the IPL Player Regulations 2025–27, specifically clause 6.6 under the section on replacement players.
Brevis, who went unsold in the 2025 mega auction, was signed by CSK on April 18 as an injury replacement for Gurjapneet Singh. He was brought in at ₹2.20 crore, the same amount CSK had paid for Gurjapneet earlier in the auction.
The 21-year-old has since made a strong impact. He struck his first T20 international century against Australia and produced a string of aggressive innings for CSK. In six matches, he scored 225 runs at a strike rate of 180, hitting 13 fours and 17 sixes. His form gave CSK’s batting order a different edge during the campaign.
The episode raises a familiar question in the IPL: how transparent are the processes around replacement signings, and how much weight do public statements from players carry compared with official franchise positions? For now, CSK has drawn a clear line, insisting the Brevis deal stayed within the rules.
