Ravichandran Ashwin recently broke his silence after his comments on Dewald Brevis’s signing by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) sparked a major debate. Ashwin had suggested that franchises sometimes pay more than a player’s base price while signing replacements, which led to speculation that CSK may have done the same in securing Brevis. The young South African was brought in as a replacement for Gurjapneet Singh, who was ruled out of the IPL. Since Gurjapneet was signed for ₹2.2 crore while Brevis’s base price was only ₹75 lakh, Ashwin’s remarks triggered questions about whether extra money was involved.
CSK quickly issued a statement clarifying their position. The franchise assured fans and the cricket community that they had followed all the rules laid down by the IPL governing council. Under clause 6.6 of IPL’s regulations, a replacement player can be paid up to the same amount as the player they replace, but not more. CSK emphasized that their signing of Brevis was fully in compliance with these rules, putting an end to doubts about the legality of the move.
Responding to the controversy, Ashwin released a clarification on his YouTube channel. He explained that his words had been misinterpreted and that he never intended to accuse CSK of wrongdoing. He stressed that if there had been any irregularity, the IPL itself would not have approved Brevis’s inclusion. Ashwin also pointed out that CSK was not the only franchise to make such replacement moves in the past, citing Royal Challengers Bangalore’s signing of Chris Gayle years ago as an example of how the system allows flexibility.
Ashwin made it clear that his original intent was to praise Brevis’s talent and the impact he was having in the tournament. He described the youngster as a “fabulous player” and said CSK had “struck gold” by bringing him in. According to Ashwin, the entire controversy was a result of headlines blowing his remarks out of proportion, rather than the actual context of his statement.