Pretoria Capitals coach Sourav Ganguly plays down record R16.5m fee paid for Dewald Brevis
Pretoria Capitals coach Sourav Ganguly downplayed the record R16.5 million fee paid for Dewald Brevis in the SA20 Player Auction in Johannesburg on Tuesday, emphasising his potential as a long-term signing despite high expectations. Alet Pretorius/ Sportzpics for SA20
Image: Alet Pretorius/ Sportzpics for SA20
Pretoria Capitals (PC) coach Sourav Ganguly played down setting a new record for the most expensive player in the history of the SA20, when his side signed Proteas sensation Dewald Brevis for R16.5 million, in Johannesburg, on Tuesday.
Although Aiden Markram had set the new SA20 mark of R14 million as he moved from the Sunrisers Eastern Cape to the Durban Super Giants, that record lasted just 12 minutes.
While Brevis has been impressive in the first three seasons for MI Cape Town, he has only recently begun delivering the goods for the Proteas on the international stage.
Last month the 22-year-old Brevis became the youngest South African to score a T20I century against Australia with his breathtakingly explosive knock of 125 not against Australia in Darwin. It was also the highest score by an SA player in T20Is.
The Rising Value of South African Domestic Players in Global Cricket
“As you’ve seen in IPL, the domestic players have a lot of value. It's the same around the world, it's the same in South Africa,” said Ganguly.
“The domestic players who play for South Africa have gone for a lot of money. It was always expected that Markram and Brevis would be going for a lot of money because of the availability and the number of retention players.
“It's exciting, his game has come better [improved], we saw that in Australia, the recent series.”
Dewald Brevis: A Key Long-Term Signing for PC Despite High Expectations
While Brevis was of course a major signing for PC, Ganguly explained that it didn’t mean he was guaranteed to fire for the side as he attempted to lower expectations.
“You never really link the money with the quality of the player because it's supply and demand. We're looking forward to having him with us. It's a good wicket at Centurion, and I'm sure he will enjoy it.
“There are a lot of good players from that part of South Africa, which I've never known before this, and I hope he does well for us.
“There's good feedback on him from the MI team, from the South African team; he’s young, and he's someone we're looking for long term. Because domestic players and retaining them is the aim of all the franchises. As a franchise, you can hold onto a lot of players, but we’re happy to get Brevis.”