Nehal Wadhera

Run-machine for the Punjab U-19 team, Nehal cracked six fifties in the Cooch Behar U-19 Trophy and grabbed attention of the national selectors. Elegant left-hand batter, his batting style resembles the flamboyant and his fellow state-mate Yuvraj Singh. No wonder Nehal looks up to him for inspiration. So much so that Nehal's cover drive in a state tournament match left everyone in the dressing room gasping for breath.

In his debut U-19 game for India against Sri Lanka U-19, Nehal stroked a fluent 81, announcing his arrival is style. Further testimony to his talent with the bat came in the semis of a 2022 Punjab State Inter-district tournament (578 vs Bathinda U-23). The knock helped him gain the limelight and the Mumbai Indians scout spotted his talent and called him for trials. The joy of being picked up at the 2023 IPL auction further boosted Nehal's confidence and he struck a century on his Ranji debut against Gujarat. He went on to score a double-century a couple of matches later vs Madhya Pradesh in the 2022-2023 season. Nehal made his T20 debut in the first game of the season in IPL 2023. Quite an unknown commodity before the tournament, Nehal lit up the stage for Mumbai Indians. He played a few gutsy cameos in the middle-order and struck back-to-back fifties against CSK and RCB. MI backed him and he repaid the faith they had in him. Nehal was retained by MI for the 2024 season but he didn’t have the same impact he had in his debut season. Nehal struck a blazing 27-ball 61 for Punjab in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final against Baroda as Punjab went on to clinch their maiden title in the competition in 2023. The Punjab boy has a good temperament and has the ability to graft his game according to the situation. There are a lot of good things in store for the young Nehal Wadhera.