Dewald Brevis Brings Hope for CSK Future Despite Harsh IPL 2025 Season

Chennai Super Kings have experienced a season to forget in IPL 2025 with ten defeats already making it one of their worst seasons in history. They are as good as confirmed to end up last in the points table for the first time unless they in some way possible defeat Gujarat Titans by a massive margin in their remaining game. But CSK is no longer chasing results anymore this year. Rather as MS Dhoni explained they are now seeking answers which will assist them in constructing a stronger team in the future. Amidst all the disappointments and failures one young name has emerged and injected some badly needed vibrancy into the team. That man is Dewald Brevis. The South African batsman is giving strong indications that he is going to be a key player in CSK's plans for the future.

Brevis was taken late as a cover and impressed immediately. In his debut of the season, he played against Sunrisers Hyderabad and played a sparkling knock of 42 runs. When he got out the rest of the team fell apart scoring only 40 runs in the next seven overs. This trend followed in other games as well. Against Rajasthan Royals after Brevis got out CSK managed a meager 50 runs in 6.2 overs even though it was a batting pitch. His capability to attack bowlers particularly in the middle overs has been better than most and consistent. In fact only Nicholas Pooran and Suryakumar Yadav have a superior strike rate than him in the middle overs this season.

Brevis is currently hitting at 170.10 between overs 7 and 15 and has been looking very at ease against pace and spin. Along with another promising new find Ayush Mhatre they have brought energy and aggression to CSK's batting. While the rest of the team has not been able to perform these two have kept the runs coming with intelligent and aggressive cricket. As compared to the remaining CSK batters who are batting at 117.07 in the middle overs Brevis and Mhatre are batting at 174.41 strike rate. These statistics reflect how different things are with the younger players.

Ruturaj Gaikwad who had a stellar beginning to the year before getting injured also indicated the same. He hit at 175 off spin in his limited outing while Brevis has hit 81 runs off 54 against spin with a strike rate of 150. This goes to show that CSK needs to bring more youth and attacking players to the middle order if they need to come back next year.

The ability of Dewald Brevis is not only seen in IPL 2025. He has played well in various formats this season. In South Africa's first-class competition he scored 573 runs including two tons. He also made 398 runs in the Provincial One Day Challenge at a strike rate of more than 156. His contribution to the SA20 league was also impressive as he guided MI Cape Town to the championship with 291 runs at a strike rate of 184.17. Comparing him year by year in his T20 career life, it is evident that 2025 has been the best season for him up to now. He has taken 459 runs in 15 innings with more than an average of 41 and a strike rate of 176.53 showing the extent he has developed as a cricketer.

Even though CSK would have preferred to find this form sooner during the tournament better late than never. They have also had late-season heroes previously such as Doug Bollinger in 2010 or Ruturaj Gaikwad in 2020. Occasionally these surprise packages prove to be long-term solutions as well and Brevis may well be on that path too. Even Matheesha Pathirana who was the star of their title triumph in 2023 was a new recruit at one time. CSK have also always been of the opinion that they should provide opportunities to young talent who would later take over from the old hands at the right moment.

CSK have been seen to support experience and their playing eleven have had older players included in it quite often. They won the title in 2018 with an average team age of more than 31 years and even in 2019 when they narrowly lost out on the trophy their team's average age was 34 years. But in the 2025 season the difference between the younger and older players is very evident. There are ten players who are 27 years or younger and have played much better both with the bat and ball than the experienced players. The younger players are batting at a better average and have a substantially greater strike rate. Even when it comes to bowling, the younger bowlers have taken more wickets at improved strike rates and economy rates.

Tuesday's match against Rajasthan Royals was a strong representation of this chasm. Brevis and Mhatre provided a strong start with quick 40s but as soon as they got dismissed the pace of the innings got reduced drastically. In the last three overs CSK could collect only 17 runs with only one boundary off a misfield. Dhoni who remained at the crease for 17 balls could score only in singles and dots. On the other hand RR ran down the last 50 runs in under 20 balls after Brevis and others had provided them with a good platform.

There is hope in spite of the losses. The performances of Brevis Mhatre and even other youngsters like Noor Ahmad and Khaleel indicate that CSK does have stars in the making for the future. The squad now has to concentrate on forming around these young players while slowly moving away from their veteran approach. With intelligent planning and belief in their new talent CSK can come back stronger in IPL 2026. Brevis especially seems like he might be one of the key pieces in that future. His attacking style calm temperament and enhanced consistency render him a player to be watched and a potential game-changer for CSK in the future.