Nehal Wadhera has no regrets but says he could have altered his approach a little to give Punjab Kings a better chance to chase down 190. Nehal Wadhera, 24, emerged as one of the most standout performers in the recently concluded Indian Premier League 2025. The stylish uncapped batter scored 369 runs in 16 games for Punjab Kings, striking the ball at 145.85, smashing two half-centuries and smacking 28 boundaries and 21 sixes. His performance in the middle order went a long way in ensuring Punjab Kings’ path to the final, where unfortunately for Wadhera and the team, they fell short against Rajat Patidar’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Wadhera had just one bad outing in the entire tournament, and sadly for the youngster, it came when it mattered the most – the final against RCB. The batter couldn’t quite find his mojo, managing 15 runs off 18 balls.
Still, Wadhera can hold his head high. The middle-order batter, who first garnered attention while playing for the Mumbai Indians in the 2023 edition of the tournament, had revealed during one of the IPL 2025 games that he initially thought that he wouldn’t get a chance in the Playing XI. Eventually, a conversation with head coach Ricky Ponting changed it all around.
Wadhera repaid PBKS’s faith after being bought by the franchise for INR 4.20 crore at the mega auction last November. With the likes of Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, Wadhera formed a solid Indian core at PBKS, ensuring that the franchise doesn’t have to worry much for the next IPL edition.
