Dewald Brevis will miss Chennai Super Kings' opening game of IPL 2026 against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on March 30 due to a side strain. CSK coach Stephen Fleming confirmed the development on the eve of the match.
"He is rehabbing and hopefully won't be for too long," Fleming said.
Brevis' absence will deplete CSK further. They are already without fast bowler Nathan Ellis, who has been ruled out of the entire season with injury, and MS Dhoni is likely to miss the first two weeks because of a calf strain. They are also waiting for the arrival of fast bowler Spencer Johnson, who is Ellis' replacement. Johnson, who is working his way back from injury himself, is set to link up with CSK around April 21-23.
With just four wins, CSK finished bottom of the table in 2025 and will be looking for a change in fortunes this year.
Brevis had joined CSK as a replacement player in the previous season after an injury to left-arm quick Gurjapneet Singh and emerged as a six-hitter in their middle order. He hit 17 sixes in 125 balls and finished his short stint with 225 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 180. CSK then retained him for IPL 2026, and now in his absence Australia allrounder Matt Short, who joined the side on March 22, could be an option to slot into the middle order.
In the absence of both Dhoni and Brevis, Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer, who CSK bought for INR 14.2 crore each at the auction in December, could be in line for their IPL debuts. With captain Ruturaj Gaikwad confirming that he will open along with Sanju Samson, Sarfaraz Khan and Urvil Patel are the other options for CSK at No.3 or lower.
