AB de Villiers forced to clean up CSK-Dewald Brevis "Masterstroke" tweet mess

The story of Dewald Brevis and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) was one of the biggest talking points of the IPL 2025 season, and it still is, thanks to legendary South African cricketer AB de Villiers. Dewald Brevis, who is often hailed as “Baby AB,” was shockingly ignored at the IPL 2025 mega auction, where not a single team raised a paddle for him.

It was quite shocking and disappointing for the young Proteas batting sensation. Yet, fate had a different plan, as Brevis was signed up by the Chennai Super Kings as an injury replacement for uncapped pacer Gurjanpreet Singh in the middle of the IPL 2025.

How AB de Villiers sparked speculations over Dewald Brevis signing with CSK

Gurjanpreet was later spotted bowling in practice, sparking whispers that CSK had pulled off one of the smartest tricks in IPL history. However, some claimed that the five-time IPL champions broke the rules to bring in an international star for the uncapped player, and that too a bowler.

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Meanwhile, AB de Villiers added fuel to the fire when he called the signing a “masterstroke” after Brevis smacked a record-breaking century in Australia during the recent ODI series.

He had posted on X earlier this month: “There was such a golden opportunity for IPL teams to pick up Dewald Brevis at the auction! Missed out badly. CSK either got very lucky, or maybe it was the biggest master stroke ever. 👏 The boy can play @BrevisDewald. Mind-boggling that he wasn’t picked up at all! To think that he came in as an injury sub 🤷♂️😄”

Mind boggling that he wasn’t picked up at all! To think that he came in as an injury sub🤷‍♂️😄

— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) August 12, 2025

AB de Villiers' words were taken as a hint that the Chennai Super Kings had bent the rules, leading to a storm of speculation. Even the franchise had to step in and clarify that everything was done by the book.

AB de Villiers clears the air on Dewald Brevis–CSK “Masterstroke” remark

Now, AB de Villiers has cleared the air on his recent comments about Dewald Brevis and the IPL 2025 auction. The South African legend stressed that his words were only meant to highlight Brevis’ talent and the missed opportunity by several franchises, including his favorite and former franchise, RCB.

AB de Villiers was quoted as saying by News18, “I purely just wanted to say that a lot of teams missed out, and I think that was the message from me. People, organizers of the IPL franchises, the owners, whoever, and the scouts, I felt, got it horribly wrong in that main auction, not picking him up. What a fantastic opportunity they had.”

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The legendary batter further made it clear that his intention was simply to point out how valuable Brevis is as a player and how surprising it was that so many teams overlooked him.

AB de Villiers denies hinting at rule breach in CSK’s Dewald Brevis deal

De Villiers added, “I think teams like RCB—obviously, he was at MI before—decided to let go of him and not get him back. So, big loss, I feel, for a lot of teams, and he’s showing that now. My tweet was all about, sort of, just showing how capable this guy is, how talented he is.”

Explaining how his tweet was misunderstood, the former cricketer said, “I also tweeted about him being picked up at the IPL or not being picked up initially and then getting into CSK’s team because of an injury. I thought maybe some people misunderstood my tweet. It had nothing to do with anything technical or anything to do with the rules of the IPL.”