CHENNAI: “There is ever going to be one AB (de Villiers),” began South Africa’s bowling great Allan Donald. “But he has got all the mannerisms of AB and has absolutely cloned himself. The fact that he can do what most batters can not, He is definitely one of those players,” he went on to explain. That ‘He’ is Dewald Brevis, who became the most expensive buy in SA20’s first-ever auction, costing R16.5 million (Rs 8.3 crore approximately). Brevis was perhaps Chennai Super Kings' few positives in an otherwise forgettable IPL 2025 campaign.
The batter has been roped by the Pretoria Capitals, set to be coached by former India captain Sourav Ganguly. Acquiring him, however, was not easy. The bidding battle heated up when Johannesburg Super Kings and the Capitals kept raising their paddle for the big-hitter. For Stephen Fleming of the Super Kings, it was obvious not to sit on him.
Bought in as an injury replacement mid-season for CSK in the IPL earlier this year, Brevis instilled hopes amongst the team management led by Fleming and the faithful with some memorable knocks and may well see himself part of the team set-up for IPL 2026. He scored 225 runs in six matches, striking at 180.00.
Coming at a base price of R500,000, It was JSK who first raised the paddle. Paarl Royals joined the bid, but pulled out at the R10 million mark. This was when the Capitals entered the bidding war. JSK went all the way up to 16 million, but had to withdraw when the Capitals raised another R500,000 to bring the total value to 16.5 million. The table where the Capitals' team management sat breathed a huge sigh of relief.
So, was it the performances in CSK that made him the expensive buy in SA20? Donald had other thoughts. “The best thing that could have happened to Brevis was him playing domestic cricket for two years,” he said in an interaction facilitated by SA20.
Brevis first made headlines after explosive performances in the 2022 U19 World Cup. Scoring 506 runs, he was awarded the Player of the Series title then. His performances earned him a contract with the Mumbai Indians. He was dubbed 'Baby AB' which he embraced but could not match rising expectations. He then switched to domestic cricket. “All of a sudden, he is released from MI. He had to go back to domestic cricket and find his game and understand who he is as a person,” Donald explained.
Representing the Titans in South Africa's domestic cricket, his ascendency was filled with record-breaking knocks. In addition to creditable outings in both List A and First Class cricket, Brevis dominated in the domestic T20 leagues, holding the record for the highest individual T20 score in South Africa. (162 off 57 balls) in 2022. He also owns the record of the fastest 150 in South Africa's T20 - 150 off 52 balls, which he scored in late 2022.
While De Villiers earned his praise and will remain one of the best players for his style of play in T20 cricket, he was also someone who gruelled in tough situations for the team in Test matches. In the Proteas whites, the former wicket keeper once scored 43 runs off 297 balls against India in 2015 in Delhi.
With Brevis not in the Test scheme of things for South Africa at present, One may think that it may take more time. Donald had his say on his potential to become an all-format cricketer. “The kid has got talent, but wouldn't match AB, but he has the talent to win games from nothing. I know he wants to play Test cricket, but in the white-ball format he could be a superstar,” he said
'New Chapter for me' says Brevis
For Dewald Brevis, representing his hometown team excites him.
"I think it was a special three years I had with MI Cape Town. We had our ups and downs, and it was amazing what we did in the last year. But this is a new chapter for me. To be with Pretoria, I’m super excited. It is my hometown. I know SuperSport Park very well—it’s very close to my heart. That’s the ground where me and my brother grew up watching cricket, running around the field, playing next to the field, he told SA20.
Brevis, who has plied his trade for franchises based across the globe, Season 4 of the SA20 will offer high competition, he opined. "The teams are always balanced and competitive, and it’s T20 cricket. The conditions in South Africa are some of the best, you get all kinds of conditions. If you play at the coast, Cape Town, everywhere it’s different. That variety is very cool, and it’s what SA20 has to offer," he said.