India pacer Shivam Mavi, who was part of the Under-19 T20 World Cup 2018-winning team, has been out of the T20I squad for more than two years. Mavi who has struggled with injuries in his career went unsold in the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction. While he makes his case for IPL teams ahead of mini-auction by striking well in ongoing Uttar Pradesh Premier T20 League 2025, he is clueless why he did not get enough chances in the Indian team. The pacer said Hardik Pandya backed him but he hasn’t had any communication with the selectors on why he was dropped from the T20I squad.
“He (Hardik) has backed me, but unfortunately, I wasn’t sure why I couldn’t get a chance in the IPL later. I had to perform and get back to the Indian team. However, I couldn’t understand why I didn’t get enough chances,” Mavi told Crictracker.
Mavi made his T20I debut against Sri Lanka in 2023 under Pandya's captaincy. He claimed four wickets for 22 runs in his quota of four overs as India won by two runs. In a space of one month, Mavi played six T20Is and took seven wickets at an average of 17.57. In his last T20I clash against New Zealand, he took two wickets for 12 runs as the Kiwi team was bowled out for 66.
Mavi’s IPL career, no games in last 3 seasons
Mavi made his IPL debut for KKR in 2018. He played for them till 2022. From 32 games, he has 30 wickets at an average of 31.40, including a four-fer. In the IPL 2023 mini-auction, he was roped in by Gujarat Titans (GT) for Rs 6 crore but did not get a game. Later, he was released. In IPL 2024, he was picked by Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 6.4 crore but ruled out due to injury. In IPL 2025 mega auction, he remained unsold.
Mavi in red-hot form
The 26-year-old is proving his mettle in the UP T20 League 2025 for Kashi Rudras. Currently, he is the joint second-highest wicket-taker. He has taken 18 wickets from just eight games at an average of 13.44, including two four-fers. He will be in action when Kashi Rudras go up against Meerut Mavericks in Qualifier 1 on September 3.