Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra believes Dewald Brevis could potentially be the most important injury replacement in the history of the IPL. Brevis had gone unsold at the auction despite setting his base price at INR 75 lakhs, but later he was picked as an injury replacement for Gurjapneet Singh for INR 2.2 crore by Chennai Super Kings.
Brevis scored 225 runs in six matches for CSK at an average of 37.50 and a strike rate of 180 in IPL 2025 and thus, he was one of the positives for the team.
Meanwhile, Brevis smashed a 41-ball century against Australia in the second T20I at the Marrara Cricket Ground, Darwin, on Tuesday. The 22-year-old scored an unbeaten knock of 125 runs off just 56 balls with the help of 12 fours and eight sixes. This was Brevis’s first T20I century.
“Was Gurjapneet’s injury replacement the best replacement in IPL history? Dewald Brevis got the entire credit for stopping Australia’s winning streak. He scored a century. He broke multiple records while scoring the century, and after that, AB de Villiers praised him a lot and said that he was surprised when no one picked him in the auction, and that’s an absolutely legit question,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“However, now he is part of the Chennai Super Kings. He came because Gurjapneet got injured. He is the new cub who will one day be a lion. He bats, fields incredibly well, and keeps as well. So Dewald Brevis has huge potential. He has also shown that he plays spin well. He is in good form as well, and could possibly be the most important injury replacement in the history of the IPL,” he observed.
On the other hand, RCB was able to rope in Tim David for INR 3 crore in IPL 2025 mega auction, and Chopra said it was a steal deal. The right-hander scored 187 runs in nine innings of IPL 2025 at an average of 62.33 and a blistering strike rate of 185.15. Ergo, the lanky batter played an instrumental role in RCB’s maiden title run in the tournament.
“Tim David is growing in stature and how. Check his numbers in the last five games. He is playing differently. I start thinking and wondering, what a deal for RCB. It was a steal deal. They let Will Jacks go. They said they needed Tim David, who bats down the order,” he said.
Chopra rated David as the best finisher in T20 cricket right now.
“Tim David scored runs there and helped the team win. Of course, towards the end, he got injured. Not that it changed anything, Royal Challengers Bengaluru lifted the trophy for the first time. However, Tim David, what an acquisition. They got him cheap, and he is probably the best finisher in T20 cricket right now. You can check out his strike rate and consistency,” Chopra observed.
David scored 83 runs off just 52 balls in the opening T20I against South Africa, whereas he scored 50 runs off 24 balls in the second game.
