Dewald Brevis

Fondly known as AB de Villers’ protégé’, aka ‘Baby AB’, Dewald Brevis first captured global attention during the 2022 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies, where his tournament-leading 506 runs, including two centuries and three fifties, earned him Player of the Tournament honors.

This breakout performance paved the way for his swift transition into
professional cricket, with Mumbai Indians securing his services in that
year's IPL auction. As his reputation grew, Brevis became a fixture in franchise leagues worldwide. He joined St Kitts & Nevis Patriots for the 2022 Caribbean Premier League, where he memorably struck five consecutive sixes, before representing MI Cape Town in South Africa's SA20 and the Kandy Falcons in Sri Lanka's Lanka Premier League. His most remarkable performance came on October 31, 2022, when he blasted 162 runs off just 57 balls for the Titans, setting multiple records including the highest T20 score in South Africa and the fastest-ever 150 in T20 cricket, achieved in just 52 deliveries. At 19 years and 185 days, he also became the youngest South
African to score a men's T20 century.

The following year saw Brevis make his international debut for South Africa against Australia in August 2023, while continuing to expand his global footprint with MI New York in the inaugural Major League Cricket season, where his contributions helped secure the championship. His career trajectory continued upward in 2025 with a move to Hampshire County Cricket Club for England's T20 Blast and a significant IPL transfer to Chennai Super Kings in April as a replacement player for the injured Gurjapneet Singh, marking a new chapter with a new franchise, after three-season stint with Mumbai Indians. In the 2025 IPL season, Brevis amassed 225 runs across six innings for Chennai Super Kings, averaging 37.50 with a blistering strike rate of 180.00. His standout performance was a dynamic 78 off 39 balls against Rajasthan Royals.

The 2025 season witnessed Brevis expanding his horizons beyond the shortest format, as he received his first Test cap against Zimbabwe in June and made his ODI debut against Australia in August. However, his most explosive international statement arrived in Darwin on August 12, 2025, where he decimated Australia with an unbeaten 125* off just 56 balls. This innings not only broke the record for the highest T20I score by a South African but also made him the youngest cricketer from his nation to score a century in the format. His market value followed this meteoric rise; in September 2025, he became the most expensive player in SA20 history when the Pretoria Capitals secured him for a staggering R16.5 million.

Entering 2026, Brevis continued his dominance by powering the Capitals to the SA20 final with 370 runs, including another high-velocity century. By the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2026, Brevis had climbed to 8th in the ICC T20I batting rankings, where he scored 207 runs. Though he was often guilty of not converting his starts into substantial scores, his insane striking ability always made him a dangerous prospect in the Protean outfit. As of March 2026, he stands as a vital pillar for both his national side and the Chennai Super Kings, who have officially retained him for the 2026 season for INR 2.2 crores.