Former South African skipper AB de Villiers criticized the franchises for ignoring Dewald Brevis in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction.

The 41-year-old’s comments came after Brevis smashed a stunning century against Australia in the 2nd T20I match in Darwin.

ABD pointed out that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) was lucky to secure his services as an injury substitute midway through the IPL 2025. Also, he said that the other nine teams missed out on the golden opportunity to acquire Brevis in the player auction.

Dewald Brevis’ Maiden T20I Century vs Australia

Australian skipper Mitchell Marsh invited the visitors to bat first at the Marrara Cricket Ground on August 12 (Wednesday). However, Dewald Brevis single-handedly propelled his team to post 218/7 in 20 overs by scoring an unbeaten 125-run knock from 56 balls (including 12 fours and 8 sixes) at a strike rate of 223.81.

Moreover, the 3-fers from Kwena Maphaka (3/57 in 4 overs) and Corbin Bosch (3/20 in 3 overs) played a pivotal role in wrapping up Australia’s chase to 165 in 17.4 overs. Despite Tim David’s 24-ball-fifty (including 4 fours and 4 sixes) at a strike rate of 208.33, the South Africans pulled off a tremendous 53-run victory.

Brevis bagged the Player of the Match award for not only recording his career best score in T20Is, but also helped South Africa stay alive in the 3-match T20I series with a 1-1 scoreline.

Decoding Brevis vs Every Australian Bowler in 2nd T20I

Here is a breakdown of how Brevis amassed 125 runs in just 56 balls by targeting these Aussie bowlers when batted at the No.4 position:

• 30 Runs from 8 Balls vs Glenn Maxwell.
• 26 Runs from 8 Balls vs Josh Hazlewood.
• 26 Runs from 13 Balls vs Adam Zampa.
• 22 Runs from 13 Balls vs Sean Abbott.
• 21 Runs from 13 Balls vs Ben Dwarshuis.

‘A Missed Golden Opportunity by Other Teams’: AB de Villiers

Soon after Brevis scored his first-ever T20I century, AB de Villiers went on to his ‘X’ account and tweeted about how other IPL teams missed out on a big chance to acquire him in the auction:

“Certainly! There was a golden chance for all IPL teams to secure the services of Dewald Brevis at the auction. Unfortunately, those nine teams missed out on the opportunity very badly.

However, CSK was very lucky, or it might be their biggest master stroke to include him in the playing XI. Brevis can play. It was shocking that no team came forward to choose him. Especially, he got a chance only as an injury sub,” ABD commented.

Multiple Records Brevis Shattered in the 2nd T20I vs Australia in 2025

The following are the four noteworthy records Brevis accomplished in the recently concluded 2nd T20I against Australia:

1. Youngest South African to Score a T20I Fifty:

At the age of 22 years and 105 days, Brevis became the third-youngest South African batter to score a fifty in T20Is after Lhuan-dre Pretorius (19 years and 121 days) and Tristan Stubbs (21 years and 347 days).

2. Highest Individual Score by a South African Batter in T20Is:

A 125-run knock by Brevis stands out as the highest individual score by any South African batter in T20Is:

3. Best T20I Scores by Any Batsman in Australia:

Brevis registered the highest-ever individual score in T20Is on Australian soil. He overtook former Aussie all-rounder Shane Watson’s record of 124 against India in Sydney back in 2016.

4. Second Fastest T20I Ton by South African Batter:

Brevis reached his first T20I century in 41 balls, which is indeed the second fastest by any South African in the 20-overs format and ranks behind David Miller in the list, who achieved this feat in just 35 deliveries. 

How Dewald Brevis Performed in IPL 2025?

After going unsold in the two-day auction, CSK signed Dewald Brevis on April 18 and delivered a wild performance in the second half of IPL 2025.

The five-time champions were keen to acquire new players to handle the challenges caused due to their struggling batting line-up. This is when Brevis, along with Ayush Mhatre, joined the Chennai-based franchise and played some impactful knocks in the last few games of the season.

As a replacement for the injured Gurjapneet Singh, the 22-year-old South African all-rounder played a crucial role in strengthening CSK’s middle order.

Brevis played only 6 matches in his maiden IPL season, but amassed 225 runs at an average of 37.50 and a strike rate of 180, including 2 fifties along with his best score of 57.