Dewald Brevis is turning one strong IPL season into one of the sharpest pay jumps in the league. Chennai Super Kings have kept the 22-year-old batter for IPL 2026 at ₹2.2 crore, and his match fees could push his total earnings in the tournament above ₹3.25 crore if he plays all 14 league matches.
That is a notable rise for a player who was picked up as a replacement during the 2025 season, when CSK brought him in for injured pacer Gurjapneet Singh. Brevis, known globally as “Baby AB” because of his batting resemblance to AB de Villiers, quickly became a vital part of CSK’s middle order and earned retention at the same valuation for the next season.
The money trail tells the story as clearly as the runs do. Brevis entered the auction pool with a base price of ₹75 lakh, and CSK secured him for ₹2.2 crore. Before that, he had commanded a ₹3 crore annual salary during a three-year stint with the Mumbai Indians from 2022 to 2024. Under the BCCI’s 2025–2027 pay structure, every member of the playing XI, including the Impact Player, gets a fixed match fee, and Brevis earns ₹7.5 lakh for every game he plays.
That structure means the South African batter can add ₹1.05 crore across a full 14-match league campaign on top of his contract value. Put together, his IPL 2026 compensation would clear ₹3.25 crore if he stays in the side from start to finish.
What makes the comparison more striking is that Brevis’s IPL value still sits well below what he drew in South Africa. Late last year, he became the most expensive player in SA20 history when Pretoria Capitals signed him for R16.5 million, about ₹8.3 crore, in the SA20 2026 Auction.
For CSK, the retention is a bet on form and fit. For Brevis, it is proof that at 22 years old, he is no longer just the player people compare to someone else. He is becoming expensive on his own terms.
