NEW DELHI: It’s been three long years since Shivam Mavi played a fixture in the Indian Premier League (IPL). His last outing was in IPL 2022; since then, he has either been on the bench or recovering from injuries. Gujarat Titans (GT) signed him for Rs 6 crore at the 2023 auction but mysteriously didn’t pick him for a single game. Another bout with injury followed, and the Uttar Pradesh pacer had to undergo extensive rehabilitation and start his journey from scratch. Franchises then started losing interest due to fitness concerns, and the bowler was convinced that he needed to find a long-term solution to stay on the park for longer periods.
His action needed some work, and side flexion was identified as the primary cause of concern. Once that was fixed, Mavi had regular appearances for Uttar Pradesh in the domestic circuit but still couldn’t attract franchise interest. He was close to joining an injury-hit Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) during IPL 2025, but early recoveries of Avesh Khan, Akash Deep and Mayank Yadav meant Mavi remained with the franchise as a net bowler.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!With the next IPL auction just a couple of sleeps away, Mavi is supremely confident of landing a buyer this time around. He is injury-free, playing regular cricket and ready to make an impact for whichever team he goes to. Will there be a compromise on pace? “140+, all day. Every day.” Excerpts:
It’s been a long time since you last played an IPL match. Remember your last outing in the league?
It’s been three years since I played. I didn’t get a chance for two years. Then one year, unfortunately, I got injured when I came in the first match. So after that, I mean, I don’t remember, honestly. A long time indeed.
Shivam Mavi celebrates after taking a wicket in the UPT20 League. (UPCA)
You have played T20I cricket for India, were on the radar of many IPL teams, but somehow things didn’t click. How difficult has it been to undergo the lonely grind in the domestic circuit for Uttar Pradesh?
When you don’t get a chance, you look for answers in domestic cricket. What can I do here so that I can play for the country again? How can I grab the selectors’ attention? What am I missing to get to that level again? Such questions crossed my mind. So I tried to stick to the basics and find answers in the process, whether it’s bowling, batting or fielding. I was clear that I would keep performing and keep doing it regularly. Somewhere down the line, I will get a chance and I will go up again.
Does desperation creep in during these testing times, especially when you are not playing cricket?
Yes. It’s only human. What I have learned so far in my career is that what’s in your hands is just what you can do. I take it match by match. If I am getting this match, what can I do in it? If I am too desperate to do this or that, it doesn’t help, because you get wickets only through patience. By having patience, you know what you have to do. These are the basics that stuck with me and helped me perform. When I see my seniors and how they perform or how they have done throughout their careers, I keep learning from them. Then I try to stay at that level and remain mentally stable so that I can perform further.
Shivam Mavi was a net bowler with the Lucknow Super Giants.
When you are not playing for India or in the IPL, there are months without top-level cricket. You even played club cricket during that period. Was that the most difficult time to deal with?
At first, I was wondering why I was getting injured. So I worked on my action in the off-season. I fixed the side flexion because of which I was getting injured. You will see that since last year, I have been able to play regularly because I have worked a lot on my action. Whenever I get a 10–15 day window, I work on it further so that I can prolong my career and stay away from minor niggles. I play club matches in my free time. No matter how much you do nets, playing matches is important — whether it is domestic or anywhere else. Matches are matches for me. Maybe the competition level is a little low, but every over counts. Playing local matches also helps execute what I am working on in the nets. When I played the domestic season, I was feeling very good and comfortable. I was bowling at a good pace and in good areas as well.
You have spent a lot of time with Rinku Singh on and off the field. Anything he told you that has stayed with you?
Rinku told me once that what is our option to take the next step? It is domestic cricket. What do we do in domestic? We perform. He emphasised performing consistently and staying relevant. You see many cricketers making comebacks after six or seven years. Why and how do they do that? Because of consistent domestic performances. Rinku told me that it happens with everyone, the reasons are different, but everyone goes through this.
There would have been mixed feelings around auctions, right? From getting picked as a youngster to that bid by Gujarat Titans and then going unsold. How disappointing was the last one in particular?
I was very hurt. I wasn’t thinking about money; I just wanted to get picked by any franchise. I was fine even going at the base price. I just wanted to play. My name came up twice but went unsold on both occasions. I had played a decent amount of domestic cricket before the auction and had done well too. When I asked around, I was told it wasn’t a question of skill but my injury history. Franchises were unsure about me playing 14 matches. That’s when I realised I needed to fix my action and work on it. There were certain things I had to fix because my body would naturally give up when I bowled 140+ consistently.
Shivam Mavi has played six T20Is for India.
You were playing the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy when the last auction happened. How difficult was it to play for UP after going unsold?
I was very angry and disturbed. I went shopping with Rinku after the auction and bought whatever I felt like. I shopped a lot in anger (laughs). It was difficult to play the match after that, but playing the entire season became my focus.
The auction is a few days away, and your name is again doing the rounds. Are you confident this time?
Yes, I am confident. After fixing my action-related issues, I am confident of playing regular cricket. I am fit and playing all the matches. I played the whole season last year. I missed the first two Ranji matches because I wasn’t ready to bowl so many overs as I was coming back from injury. I had played in the UPT20 league, so I was ready for T20s, but then Ranji Trophy came, and I missed two matches. After that, I played the whole season.This season too, I have played T20s and the Ranji Trophy. Franchises keep a tab on domestic cricket. In longer formats, you can see a player’s fitness. Teams notice whether a player is playing regularly.
You spent time with Zaheer Khan and Justin Langer in the LSG dugout. How was it learning from Zaheer?
When I spoke to Zaheer bhai, he told me there were two options — go home or stay with the team. He personally suggested I stay because I would learn more. He said staying would help me learn by bowling to good players in the nets. Over two-and-a-half months, I learned a lot. Zaheer bhai always kept a close tab on me in nets and practice matches and told me where I needed to improve.
Poll
Do you think Shivam Mavi will get picked in the upcoming IPL auction?
Any specific takeaway from the sessions with Zaheer Khan?
Zaheer bhai told me that the smoother your run-up and release towards the batsman, the less side flexion you will have, and the more pace and nip you will generate. Even though wickets were flat this season and the domestic season started one-and-a-half months earlier, I was still getting some help from the surface.
Is Mavi ready to bowl 140+ all day, every day?
Yes. This year, in all the matches I’ve played, I’ve been bowling around 140–142. In the UPT20 league, I was clocking 140, 142, 143. It depends on recovery. If I don’t recover well, the body isn’t as fast. But this year, I am bowling quicker than last year. There is no compromise on speed. Yes, it is increasing.
