South African cricket legend AB de Villiers has cleared the air following his comments about Chennai Super Kings (CSK) signing Dewald Brevis as an injury replacement during the IPL 2025 season. De Villiers’ initial remarks, calling it a “masterstroke” by CSK, had sparked speculation about potential rule-bending, leading the franchise to issue a statement asserting that the signing was fully compliant with IPL regulations.

AB de Villiers, however, clarified that his comments were intended to highlight Brevis’ immense talent rather than any perceived breach of IPL rules. Brevis went unsold in the 2025 IPL auction, which meant the only way he could feature in the season was as an injury replacement.

After a few injuries affected other players, CSK seized the opportunity when uncapped pacer Gurjanpreet Singh suffered a minor injury. This raised eyebrows, as Singh was later seen practising, fueling rumours that CSK had exploited a “loophole” in the system.

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“I just wanted to highlight that many teams missed a trick by not picking him up in the auction,” AB de Villiers explained. “Brevis is an incredible talent, and teams like RCB and MI, who had him previously, let him slip away. They made a big mistake not securing him, and now we’re seeing what he can do.” He emphasized that his comments were focused solely on Brevis’ potential and his unrecognized skill.

De Villiers also clarified that his tweet about Brevis joining CSK was unrelated to the rules or technicalities of the IPL, specifically the injury replacement clause. Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin had also made remarks about CSK being “willing to pay extra,” which fueled rumours about under-the-table payments.

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After CSK’s clarification, Ashwin acknowledged that his comment was also aimed at recognizing Brevis’ ability rather than any financial arrangements. As per IPL rules, CSK can now retain Brevis for the 2026 season, despite not acquiring him during the auction.