Key Points

Young South African batsman Dewald Brevis recently opened up about his transformative experience playing alongside MS Dhoni at Chennai Super Kings. He revealed how Dhoni maintains an open-door policy for players seeking guidance, only closing his door when sleeping. Brevis described meaningful conversations about cricket and life during their time together in the hotel. The rising star also reflected on his personal growth through IPL stints with both Mumbai Indians and CSK.

Key Points: Dewald Brevis Reveals MS Dhoni CSK Mentorship and IPL Journey

  • Brevis praised Dhoni's humility and accessibility to all players
  • Revealed personal cricket discussions in Dhoni's hotel room
  • Shared IPL journey from Mumbai Indians to CSK success
  • Discussed family support philosophy during early career challenges
3 min read

SA star Brevis speaks on spending time with Dhoni during CSK stint in IPL 2025

South Africa's Dewald Brevis shares intimate details about learning from MS Dhoni during his CSK stint, discussing Dhoni's open-door policy and personal growth in IPL.

"His room door is always open. If he is sleeping, that's the only time it is closed. - Dewald Brevis"

Johannesburg, September 4

Young South Africa and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batting sensation Dewald Brevis opened up on spending time with Indian cricket icon MS Dhoni during the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season and what learnings he experienced during his playing days in the cash-rich league so far.

Brevis spoke to South African batting legend AB de Villiers on his YouTube channel. In the most recent IPL season this year, Brevis was among the very few positives from CSK's dismal bottom-finish season, scoring 225 runs in six matches and innings at an average of 37.50, with a strike rate of 180.00 and two half-centuries. He came in as a replacement for the injured bowler Gurjanpreet Singh.

Speaking on AB's channel, Brevis said that one thing that stands out about MS is his "humbleness".

"How he (Dhoni) is basically off the field, the time he has for players, for people. His room door is always open. If he is sleeping, that's the only time it is closed," Brevis added.

Brevis recalled being in the room with Dhoni sometimes and "chatting with him about his hobbies and watching cricket".

"That is just amazing and just to see how what he (Dhoni) does like off the field and like everyone knows what he does on the field and at training and yeah just it is very special. I enjoyed my time there," the South African player added.

Brevis came to CSK after two seasons with five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI), scoring 230 runs in 10 matches at an average of 23.00, with a best score of 49.

Speaking on his learnings from playing the IPL so far, Brevis said that when he was younger, he wanted to find his feet first and then have his family visit to watch him, because he did not want them to come to India without actually playing.

"I think the big thing for me was at the start my first year I was young and I always felt like I need to find my feet at first and I was like okay my family, everyone, they need to just wait before they visit like I don't want to be like the guy that's there and then the family is there and he's not. So, I wanted to show that I am grown up. I can do my own things and figure it out," said Brevis.

"But the big thing for me was is whatever you do like off the field and things like I want to share it with my family. I want to share it with people that I love, people in my inner circle. And it is those small things that I feel you must not like try to punish yourself," he added.

Brevis was signed by the Mumbai Indians (MI) for the 2022 season for Rs three crores, heading into the tournament after a record-breaking 2022 U19 World Cup for South Africa, scoring a massive 506 runs in six matches at an average of 84.33, with two centuries and three fifties, having a strike rate of 90.19.

The youngster is currently a part of South Africa's white-ball tour to England.

While he failed in the ODI leg of the Australia tour with single-digit scores in two matches, he absolutely rocked the T20I leg, with a chart-topping 180 runs in three matches at an average of 90.00, a strike rate of 204 and best score of 125*, the highest score by a South African in T20Is.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

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Priya S
Brevis showed great maturity in his approach. Waiting to establish himself before calling family shows he's serious about his career. Hope CSK retains him for next season - he was one of their best performers!
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Arjun K
️ 180 strike rate in IPL and 204 in T20Is! This guy is the future of South African cricket. MI let go of a gem when they released him. CSK got lucky with this replacement signing.
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Sarah B
Love how Dhoni keeps his door open for players. That's real leadership. No wonder CSK has such a strong team culture. Brevis seems to have really benefited from this environment.
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Vikram M
Respect to Brevis for his mindset. Many young players would immediately call family for the IPL glamour, but he wanted to prove himself first. That's the right attitude for success in cricket.
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Michael C
While I appreciate Dhoni's mentorship, CSK's management needs to focus on building a stronger squad. One good young player can't carry the team. They need better planning for next season.
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Ananya R
That 125* against Australia was spectacular! 🔥 Brevis has incredible potential. Hope he continues to learn from Dhoni and becomes a regular in CSK's

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