R Ashwin clarifies comments on CSK's Dewald Brevis signing
What's the story
Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has clarified his earlier comments about Chennai Super Kings (CSK) signing South African batter Dewald Brevis. The clarification comes after CSK released a statement confirming the acquisition of Brevis as a replacement player for the IPL 2025 season. The young talent was brought in to replace an injured Gurjapneet Singh and performed exceptionally well, scoring 225 runs in six matches at a strike rate of 180.
Misunderstanding
'Paid extra' comment taken out of context
As per Ashwin, his earlier statement that CSK paid 'extra' for Brevis was taken out of context, leading to speculation that the franchise exceeded the maximum price of ₹2.2 crore. However, CSK clarified this matter in a statement on August 16. The cricketer later addressed these rumors on his YouTube channel, explaining his intention was only to discuss Brevis's current form and not imply any wrongdoing by CSK or IPL.
Clarification
Ashwin backs IPL, CSK, and Brevis
Ashwin stressed that every player in the IPL has a tri-partite contract between themselves, their franchise, and the IPL. He said if anything was amiss, it wouldn't be approved. The cricketer also highlighted that injury replacements are a common practice in the league and all franchises utilize this rule within limits. "If there was any fault here, that player would not have played in the franchise," he said.
Praise
Brevis struck gold with CSK move, says Ashwin
Despite the controversy, Ashwin praised CSK for their decision to sign Brevis. The cricketer said, "Dewald Brevis is a fabulous player, and the way he is batting, CSK has struck gold. Whoever has made the decision, they have taken a fabulous decision." Brevis had an impressive run in the Australia T20I series, scoring 180 runs in three matches including a blistering century and a half-century.