MS Dhoni and CSK chose Dewald Brevis over England star in IPL 2025: Reports

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) went for young sensation Dewald Brevis to replace the injured Gurjapneet Singh halfway through IPL 2025. According to a report by The Times of India, the franchise chose Brevis over England opener Jonny Bairstow.

A CSK source told the publication that the franchise considered Bairstow, who had gone unsold in the mega auction. However, they then picked Dewald Brevis, who was also surprisingly unsold. The franchise decided to go with young blood over experience.

According to the report, CSK coach Stephen Fleming batted for Brevis. MS Dhoni, who was leading the side after captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out due to injury, also approved the decision.

"He had seemed a suspect against spin in the first two seasons and the data of the player didn't suggest anything special. But with Ruturaj Gaikwad out with an injury, we were lacking firepower up top and with no chance to make the play-offs, there was scope to experiment," the source was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

"Bairstow had experience, but by then we were ready to take a chance with young guns," the source added.

Dewald Brevis, who came in as a replacement, proved to be a masterstroke for CSK. The 22-year-old played six matches and smashed 225 runs at a strike-rate of 180 with two half-centuries. Before IPL 2025, Brevis had played only 10 matches in the league across two seasons for the Mumbai Indians (MI).

Come IPL 2026, CSK would look to give Brevis a long rope on the back of his impressive performance last season.

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Dewald Brevis smashed record ton in AUS vs SA 2025 2nd T20I

Meanwhile, Dewald Brevis smashed a record unbeaten ton in the second match of their ongoing T20I series against Australia. Batting first, South Africa posted a massive total of 218/7 on the board.

Brevis slammed an unbeaten 125 off just 56 balls, including 12 fours and eight maximums at a strike-rate of 223.21. In reply, Australia were bowled out for 165 as the Proteas registered a 53-run victory.

The right-hander scored the second-fastest T20I hundred for South Africa as he reached the landmark in 41 balls, only behind David Miller's 35-ball ton in 2017. He became the youngest batter of his country to score a T20I hundred.

His 125 not out is also the highest individual score by a South African batter in T20Is. Moreover, Dewald Brevis also went past Ruturaj Gaikwad's unbeaten 123 in 2023 and registered the highest T20I score against Australia.