Name: Nehal Wadhera
Nehal Wadhera He is a left-handed batsman and an occasional leg-break bowler. Wadhera has represented the Punjab cricket team in domestic competitions and was also part of the India under-19 cricket team.
Wadhera started playing cricket at nine, initially focusing on batting. He worked extensively on his fitness to enhance his game. His cricketing journey began under the guidance of Charanjit Bhangu, a childhood coach, and later, Harjinder Singh during his age-level cricket. Singh noted Wadhera's potential early on.
From 2015 to 2018, Wadhera played for the Punjab under-16 and under-19 teams in the Vijay Merchant Trophy and Cooch Behar Trophy. His performance in the 2017–18 season was notable, scoring 529 runs. He made his under-19 debut for India on July 17, 2018, against Sri Lanka, scoring 82 runs in a four-day match. In August 2018, he was included in India's squad for the 2016 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup.
In April 2022, during the Inter-District U-23 Cricket Championship semi-final, Wadhera scored 578 runs in an innings, setting a new record for the highest score in an innings in a four-day match. This achievement also made him the fastest player to reach the 200, 300, 400, and 500 run milestones in recognized cricket. He was honoured by Junior Chamber International for this record.
Wadhera's domestic career took off when he was named in Punjab's squad for the 2020–21 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in December 2020. In December 2022, he was bought by the Mumbai Indians for ?20 lakh to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He became the third player from the Ludhiana district to receive an IPL call-up.
He made his first-class debut for Punjab on January 3, 2023, against Gujarat, scoring a century (123 runs) in his debut match, contributing to Punjab's 380-run victory. By his third first-class game, he scored his maiden double hundred, making 214 runs against Madhya Pradesh on January 18, 2023. He was named player of the match and finished his first first-class season with 376 runs from seven innings.
Wadhera made his Twenty20 debut for Mumbai Indians on April 2, 2023, against Royal Challengers Bangalore. In that IPL season, he played 14 innings, scoring a total of 241 runs, which included a half-century against Chennai Super Kings on May 6, 2023. In June 2023, he was selected to play for North Zone in the 2023 Duleep Trophy. He made his List A debut for Punjab on November 23, 2023, against Baroda in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
In July 2023, Wadhera was named as a standby player for India A's squad in the 2023 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup, indicating his potential for future inclusion in the national team.