South African youngster Dewald Brevis has spoken warmly about his experience with former India captain MS Dhoni during his stint with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League. Brevis highlighted the legendary wicketkeeper’s humility and openness off the field.In a candid reflection, Brevis said that what struck him most about Dhoni was not only his stature in world cricket but also the way he carries himself around teammates and fellow professionals.“The one thing I can just say from MS is his humbleness and who he is as a person. That stood out for me. How he is basically off the field, the time he has for players, for people. His room is always open. If he’s sleeping, that’s the only time it’s closed,” Brevis recalled in a video shared by CSK.The 21-year-old revealed that he would often walk into Dhoni’s room without hesitation. “I found myself a few times in his room just sitting there, chatting to him about his hobbies, watching cricket, or anything he was busy with,” he said.For Brevis, those interactions went beyond cricket. They offered a glimpse into the personality of one of the most admired figures in the game. “That’s just amazing, to see how he is off the field. Everyone knows what he does on the field. It’s very special and I enjoyed my time there,” he added.CSK had one of their worst IPL seasons in 2025, but the silver lining was acquiring ‘Baby AB’, who has been a big hit in the T20 circuit across the world since then.
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CSK, though, didn’t have any plans of getting Brevis, and it was a combination of desperation, smart thinking and “a bit of fluke” that led the five-time champions to rope him in after eight games.It was coach Stephen Fleming’s suggestion “to take a chance with Brevis.” MS Dhoni, too, gave his nod, banking on the youth factor, and the 22-year-old came in to become an immediate success, scoring 42 off 25 balls against SRH in a low-scoring match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. He followed it up with a few sparkling innings that dented the progress of teams like KKR and Gujarat Titans.Brevis had played a couple of IPL seasons earlier for Mumbai Indians, getting only 10 games and doing nothing spectacular.He finished IPL 2025 with 225 runs in six games at an astonishing strike rate of 180.00.
