Nehal Wadhera for Punjab Kings in IPL 2025 (Source: AP Photos)
Mumbai Indians are known to unearth special talents, and Nehal Wadhera was one of of them in the 2023 IPL. His clean-hitting ability to mould his game according to the situation impressed quite a few people and he was expected to build on a strong start of his inaugural edition.
However, in the 2024 season, he was given only six matches, and was eventually released ahead of the IPL 2025 auction. However, they had a chance to get his back by using RTM card in IPL 2025 auction, but they did not, and the talented left-hander went to Punjab Kings at 4.20 Crore.
MI, on the other hand, went for Naman Dhir and though he has done decently for MI, Nehal Wadhera is looking class apart in IPL 2025. His base price in IPL 2025 auction was just 30 Lakhs and the early bidding for the Punjab lad was between Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants.
Punjab Kings Outclassed GT, CSK, LSG With Inspired Bidding For Nehal Wadhera
Punjab Kings eventually joined the race along with Gujarat Titans and they raised the bar to 2.80 Crore. However, PBKS with plenty of money in their kitty, kept bidding for him intensively, and it came down to 4.20 Crore. As Nehal Wadhera played for Mumbai Indians last year, they had the chance to use the RTM card for him, but they decided against it, and Punjab Kings bagged Nehal Wadhera.
In the two matches, Nehal Wadhera has played in IPL 2025, he has shown stellar form and has scored fifties in each game. Especially, against Rajasthan Royals, he displayed great temperament and managed to take his team to a position where they had a chance to pull off an unthinkable heist.
Thus, it looks like Mumbai Indians have lost a gem of a player who has all the gears in his arsenal along with temperament, and Nehal Wadhera would be hoping to keep going stronger and stronger as the season progresses.