‘Reminds me of Chris Gayle…’: Anil Kumble praises CSK’s young debutant player to be next upcoming star
Anil praised Brevis to be next big star for CSK
Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) faced their seventh defeat of the IPL 2025 season, as they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by five wickets on April 25 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Former Indian captain Anil Kumble has, however, ignored the loss and spoke about his focus on CSK’s 21-year-old player Dewald Brevis. The South African youngster smashed a quick 42 off 25 balls on his debut match against SRH on April 25.
“His ability to play spin really stood out. Chennai is not easy – it is a two-paced wicket where the odd ball holds up,” Kumble said.
“He has done it before in South Africa, in first-class cricket, and at the U-19 level, which is how he came into the IPL,” he added.
Dewald Brevis was unsold in the IPL 2025 mega-auction last year, but then got picked by CSK for Rs. 2.2 crore as a replacement player for Gurjapneet Singh. Anil Kumble recalled an instance of another great cricketer who was brought in as a replacement player for Royal Challengers Bengaluru back in 2011.
“He came in as a replacement, was not even part of the squad originally, and that reminds me of how one ‘Universe Boss’ (Chris Gayle) too walked in as a replacement for RCB in 2011 and became an icon,” Kumble remarked.
“Brevis has all the shots. With Rachin Ravindra, Mhatre, and Pathirana, CSK has a young core to build on. Brevis has the potential to be a long-term asset for the franchise,” stated Kumble.
Coming to the match, Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Chennai Super Kings by five wickets in their Indian Premier League match here on Friday to keep their play-off hopes alive.
With his defeat, CSK almost bowed out of the play-offs race even as SRH stayed alive theoretically.
Sent into bat, Chennai Super Kings were bowled out for 154. In reply, SRH completed the task in 18.4 overs with Ishan Kishan (44), Kamindu Mendis (32 not out) and Nitish Reddy (19 not out) making valuable contributions with the bat.