Can CSK retain Dewald Brevis ahead of IPL 2026?

Can the Chennai Super Kings retain Dewald Brevis ahead of IPL 2026?

Several IPL franchises will be frustrated because a golden opportunity slipped right through their fingers. But CSK will be sitting back and smiling, because knowingly or unknowingly, they managed to get their hands on a gem.

During the last IPL auction, Dewald Brevis, South Africa’s young batting sensation, was up for grabs, but went unsold. No one seemed interested in picking him. But fate had other plans. An injury to Gurjapneet Singh gave Brevis a backdoor entry into IPL 2025, when Chennai signed him for ₹2.2 crore.

Nicknamed “Baby AB” for his striking similarity to AB de Villiers’ style, Brevis went from being a mid-season replacement to an instant fan favourite. He scored 225 runs at a blistering strike rate of 180. For a team that struggled all season, it was like a breath of fresh air.

His form since then has only gone upward. Recently, Brevis lit up a T20 against Australia, smashing a century off just 41 balls, an innings that has suddenly made him one of the hottest names for IPL 2026. Even de Villiers tweeted to say, "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 the biggest master stroke ever. The boy can play."

So, can CSK actually retain him? The answer is yes. According to IPL rules, teams cannot retain players who joined after the IPL 2025 restart — like Mumbai Indians’ Jonny Bairstow or Punjab Kings’ Kyle Jamieson — when the league resumed following the Indo-Pak tensions.

However, Brevis joined CSK before that restart, which makes him eligible for retention ahead of the next auction.

But should Chennai keep him? Without a doubt. CSK has never truly replaced Suresh Raina in the middle order, and Brevis could be the answer to that long-standing question. For Chennai, retaining him wouldn’t just be about keeping a young talent; it would mean securing a future match-winner who could light up Chepauk for years to come.