Do IPL teams flout player-signing norms post auction? R Ashwin's explosive Dewald Brevis-CSK deal sparks speculations

The upcoming season of Indian Premier League (IPL) might be six months away but the cash-rich franchise T20 is making headlines after former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claimed that Chennai Super Kings have made an under-the-table deal to sign South African Dewald Brevis midway into the previous season. 

The whole Brevis-CSK saga came up after the South African slammed his maiden T20I hundred against Australia recently a couple of days back. Following the hundred, former South African captain AB de Villiers claimed Brevis to be CSK's biggest “masterstroke” while nine other IPL teams missed a “golden opportunity.”  

Brevis was signed by CSK in place of injured pacer Gurjapneet Singh for an amount of ₹2.2 crore after the 22-year-old went unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction despite a base price of ₹75 lakhs. In the video, Ashwin revealed a lot of teams wanted to sign Brevis as a replacement.

But CSK won the right-hander, known as 'Baby AB', after intense negotiations with his agents. The 38-year-old explained that players like Brevis holds the negotiation power as they know that they will get more than their base price at the auction next year if performed well. 

“About Brevis. He had a great time last IPL with CSK. In fact, a few teams were talking to him. A few teams left him because of the price. When he was supposed to be signed as a replacement, he was supposed to be signed at the base price,” Ashwin said.

“But what happens is you talk to the agents and the player will say, if you give me X amount extra, I will come. That happens because the player knows if he is released next season, he will go for good money. So his concept was that, you pay me good money now else I will go for more next year,” added Ashwin, who was bought by CSK in IPL 2025 mega auction last year for almost ₹10 crore.  

"And CSK were ready to pay him, hence he came. In the back half, the CSK combination was strong. They will go with ₹30 crore in IPL 2026 mini auction," he added. Ashwin remarks have sparked speculations about IPL teams' under-the-table formula while trying to sign big names post auction as injury replacements.