Ravi Ashwin explains his stance after CSK clarifies signing terms of Dewald Brevis

While Dewald Brevis lit up the T20I series against Australia, a controversy brewed over his participation in IPL 2025. The young Protean went unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction. However, the T20 league made space for him midway through the season. Five-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings signed Brevis as an injury replacement for Gurjapneet Singh, who was picked in the auction for 2.2 crore. The move played in favor of CSK as Brevis showed impressive form in the remainder of IPL 2025. However, months after the conclusion of the season, doubts emerged over the terms of Brevis' signing, fueled mainly by the comments of Ravichandran Ashwin.

Ravi Ashwin circles back to his earlier comments after CSK issues clarification on signing Dewald Brevis for IPL 2025

Chennai Super Kings, on Saturday, had to come up with a statement clarifying the process of signing Dewald Brevis as an injury replacement. The five-time champions explained that the franchise abided by the IPL rules and regulations while acquiring Brevis for 2.2 crore, the exact amount paid to Gurjapneet Singh, the injured player. However, what forced CSK to come out and clear the process months after the conclusion of IPL 2025 was a comment by Ravi Ashwin. The former Indian spinner, also a part of CSK in the IPL season, alleged that the franchise paid extra to the young South African.

Dewald Brevis entered the IPL 2025 mega auction at a base price of 75 lakh. However, upon being signed as an injury replacement, Brevis was well within his rights to claim 2.20 crore, the original amount for which CSK bought Gurjapneet Singh in the mega auction. Ashwin's comments about Brevis being paid “extra,” however, caused a controversy on social media. Now, hours after CSK's clarification, Ravi Ashwin has reacted to the escalation of the matter.

“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,” said Ashwin. “One must understand that when a franchise wants a player, they talk to the latter and their agent. The franchise then tells the BCCI about a player getting injured and a replacement player coming in. If there is anything wrong in the process, that player would not play for the franchise,” he added.

The former Indian all-rounder went on to explain the intent behind his previous statement, the one that led to speculation. Ashwin went on to praise Brevis and his current batting form. The young batter recently scored 180 runs against Australia in the three-match T20I series, breaking records with his 125* knock in the 2nd match. Ashwin, meanwhile, clarified that he wanted to talk about Brevis' form and not his IPL signing amount.

“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 Dewald Brevis. He has been batting really well; he hits big sixes. Power-striker, monstrous hitter against spin,” Ashwin said. “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. If there is anything wrong, it won't be ratified,” he clarified.

“I just want to say this. I focus more on cricket rather than the chatter on social media. We make videos on YouTube to give our opinions. People who watch our videos don't do any wrongdoing. However, those who don't watch can twist the statements according to their whims and fancies. In today's world, news can be made based on one statement or headline,” Ashwin said.

Meanwhile, CSK have secured Dewald Brevis for the IPL 2025-27 cycle as per the player regulations. Ravi Ashwin, on the other hand, faces uncertainty over his IPL career. The spinner joined CSK ahead of IPL 2025 as the franchise scripted a homecoming for Ashwin, securing him in the mega auction at a price of over 9 crore. However, the seasoned all-rounder played only nine matches, failing to leave a mark in the season where CSK ended last on the points table. As trade and release updates surface ahead of IPL 2026, Ashwin has reportedly demanded a release from the Chennai camp.