South Africa’s young, talented batter Dewald Brevis, who is fondly named “Baby AB,” has opened up on his memorable stint with Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Having marked a successful season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, the 22-year-old reflected on his experience sharing the dressing room with the former Indian captain MS Dhoni.
While speaking on the official YouTube channel of AB de Villiers, the right-handed batter was impressed with MSD’s humbleness and straightforward nature. He explained how the five-time winning captain, like Dhoni, always ensured his availability to the teammates by welcoming him into his room and having a detailed chat either about cricket or hobbies and general lifestyle.
‘A Few Times in His Room’: An Off-Field Experience with Dhoni
Dewald Brevis cherished MS Dhoni’s humble nature off the field and said that he had experienced the best IPL season since his debut in 2022:
“Yeah! I will always remember and share with people those amazing experiences, out of my four-year journey. It has been an incredible experience. And one thing I would definitely like to share is about MSD’s humbleness. He has been one such person whose humbleness was the most memorable or impressive part.
Basically, Dhoni is a great person off the field. He gives his time to players and others, which impressed me a lot.
His room door would always be open and would be closed only if he’s sleeping. A few times, I have been into his room just sitting there. He used to be busy and chat about his hobbies, watching cricket, and so on…
Everyone was aware of what he used to do on the field and during training. But it was a very special moment for me to see his off-field activities,” Brevis said.
Favorite City for Brevis in India
Dewald Brevis further revealed Chennai as his favorite city in India and dreams of surfing at the local beaches in the next year:
“Oh! Right now, I’m unable to express the feeling when I batted at the Chepauk Stadium, especially the second time. So far, I haven’t visited Dharamsala, but I believe it looks beautiful. But Chennai remains a special place for me since I’m playing for CSK. For a long time, there has been a desire for me to surf at the local beaches in the next year,” Brevis told AB de Villiers.
Brevis Learnings from Playing in the IPL
As an 18-year-old, Dewald Brevis began his IPL career in 2022 and learned a lot in the past four seasons. At that time, he wanted to settle and prove his worth before inviting his family to India. Moreover, he didn’t want his family to travel all the way just to see him benched in a few matches. Here is what Brevis said:
“Yeah! I believe the biggest thing for me was my debut season when I was young. I believed that I needed to find my feet first. And then I felt that everyone in my family should wait before they visit. I didn’t want them to come all the way to India and get disappointed if I wasn’t playing in any of the matches yet.
But the most satisfying thing for me was to share my off-field experiences, like the day-to-day moments with my family and loved ones. And those small things matter a lot, you should not be guilty or hold back from enjoying them,” Brevis added.
Following a stellar run in the Under-19 World Cup in 2022, the Mumbai Indians signed Brevis for INR 3 crore. He scored 230 runs in 10 matches for MI. Out of which he compiled 161 runs in 7 matches (in IPL 2022) and 69 runs in 3 matches (in IPL 2024).
A Memorable Stint with CSK in IPL 2025
After representing the Mumbai Indians for two seasons, Dewald Brevis was signed by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) worth INR 2.2 crores to replace the injured pacer Gurjapneet Singh.
Even though the five-time champions finished bottom in the points table, Brevis had a few positive moments to consider, having played a pivotal role for his team as a middle-order batter. In 6 matches, he scored 225 runs (Average: 37.50, Strike Rate: 180), which includes two fifties along with his career best score of 57.
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Overall Opinion
Ultimately, 2025 has been a turning point in Dewald Brevis’ cricket career. He achieved sensational records in international cricket and got a valuable opportunity to learn from legends like MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming while representing CSK.
The experiences he gained by playing IPL helped him to become even more committed towards the sport and improve his skills to attain success at a higher level. While several reports claim that CSK are looking to make changes to the squad, Brevis has already cemented his spot in the team’s middle order with his dynamic approach in the 20-over format.
