CSK Clarifies Ravichandran Ashwin’s ‘Extra Pay’ Allegations Over Dewald Brevis

The franchise released an official statement after a video from Ravichandran Ashwin suggested they paid Brevis “extra” to secure his services, a move Ashwin called a “masterstroke.”

August 16, 2025: The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have formally responded to the criticism over their hiring of South African batter Dewald Brevis in the middle of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The team said in a statement that the signing was “in full compliance with the rules and regulations of IPL” and denied any wrongdoing.

Ravichandran Ashwin, a former Indian off-spinner, sparked the issue by claiming in a recent YouTube video that CSK had used a loophole to get the services of the batting prodigy. Ashwin says that Brevis, who didn’t sell during the big auction, was talking to a lot of teams, but his “ask was simple: ‘If I come now and do well, my value goes up.” “Pay me for that value.”

Ashwin said that “CSK swooped in and sealed the deal,” gaining Brevis for “whatever number he negotiated.” Other franchises were not willing to satisfy Brevis’s demands. The experienced spinner called the action a tremendous strategic coup.

CSK made things very clear in a statement they posted on Saturday. The statement said, “Dewald Brevis was signed in full accordance with the IPL Player Regulations 2025-27, specifically clause 6.6 under ‘Replacement Players.'” Brevis was signed for INR 2.2 crore to take Gurjapneet Singh’s place when he was hurt. Singh was bought at the same amount in the auction.

According to IPL’s Clause 6.6, the fee for a substitute player can’t be more than the fee for the player who is hurt or unavailable. The official numbers reveal that CSK paid Brevis precisely what they were allowed to, but Ashwin’s comments have made cricket experts, like Aakash Chopra, wonder if teams might be utilizing “under-the-table” negotiations to acquire an edge.

Even though there was a lot of talk about it, Brevis’s play for the Super Kings was brilliant. He finished the season as one of CSK’s most important players, scoring 225 runs in just six games at an amazing strike rate of 180. His aggressive batting gave the middle order a much-needed boost when it had been struggling, proving Ashwin’s appreciation for the team’s forethought.