Dewald Brevis says he won’t let his record R16.5-million SA20 price tag change who he is as he prepares to play in front of his home crowd in Centurion.

The 22-year-old was the subject of a fierce bidding war between the Pretoria Capitals and Joburg Super Kings at last week’s SA20 auction, with Capitals coach Sourav Ganguly eventually outbidding his JSK counterpart Stephen Fleming to secure his services.

Brevis had previously spent three seasons with MI Cape Town, producing moments of brilliance but never quite igniting consistently. Now, he says he is ready to deliver on the grass banks where his passion for cricket began.

“You always reflect and I think it was a special three years I had with MI. We had our ups and our downs, and it was amazing what we did in the last year. I’ll always remember that,” Brevis said.

“But this is a new chapter for me. To be with Pretoria, I’m super excited. It is my hometown. I know Centurion very well. It’s very close to my heart – that’s where me and my brother grew up watching cricket, running around the field, playing next to the field. So, to be able to be there, I’m really excited.”

MORE: Brevis bought for SA20 record price

Brevis insists he won’t be weighed down by the size of his price tag.

“I don’t think I will change. I’ll remain the same. I’m not going to change who I am as a person,” he said. “I’m just playing to enjoy it, playing for God, and I think just always to have fun and to enjoy it – to play with a smile.”

ALSO: Final SA20 squads after player auction

The Capitals have missed the playoffs in the past two SA20 seasons, but Brevis believes they have the squad to challenge this time.

“I can’t wait to see the team, get together with them and just make memories and have fun,” he said. “It’s great to have Lungs [Lungi Ngidi] there … we’ve spent a lot of time together. Lizzie [Lizaad Williams] too. I’m so happy for Connor [Esterhuizen] as well – he’s a great player, he’ll do well for us.

“If you look at all the overseas players, I think we’ve got a good balanced team: strong batting line-up, power hitters, guys that would love Centurion. If you look at [Sherfane] Rutherford and Andre Russell … it’s a great all-round team. I’m very excited to see how the boys go and how they enjoy playing there because it’s a beautiful place to bat and to play cricket.”

DOMINGO: Painful for Sunrisers to lose Markram

Capitals fans will get their first look at their new marquee signing when they host the Joburg Super Kings on 27 December.

Photo: Arjun Singh/Sportzpics