Wadhera is making waves by being a T20 floater

"It's not about being good, it's about knowing that you are good."

This realisation dawned upon Nehal Wadhera when he faced Jofra Archer for the first time in a Mumbai Indians (MI) practice game ahead of IPL 2023. All of 22 at the time, and yet to make his T20 debut, here was Wadhera facing one of the fastest bowlers in the world.

He didn't just survive but even impressed the MI management so much that he was handed a T20 debut in the IPL in the team's season opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

"When I batted against Archer, I think that was an actual moment where I got that self-confidence," Wadhera said in a press interaction. "It is very important for you to know that you are good. And when I played Archer in the practice games, it was in a way a realisation moment for me.

"And from there, I got the confidence that yes, I am prepared for this level. And then, wherever I got the chance, I did well. I think my confidence was sky-high thereon."

Wadhera had a decent debut season, scoring 241 runs in ten innings, with two fifties and a strike rate of 145.18. The MI stint helped him realise that he belonged at this level. It also opened a lot of avenues. He was part of the title winning 2023-24 Syed Mushtaq Ali Punjab team, where he scored 175 runs in six innings at an average of 58.33 and a strike rate of 162.03.

The common factor in both his Punjab and MI stints was his batting position. It was never fixed. From opening the batting to slotting in at No. 7, Wadhera has been a floater throughout his T20 career. It's not ideal for a player, but it's something he has trained himself for since he was a kid.

"Yes, this thing about me playing in every number... if you look at the last two years, when I was playing for Mumbai as well, my batting was very flexible, there was no fixed position," he said. "Sometimes I have opened, sometimes I batted two down, sometimes at No. 3, 4, 5, 6.

"Since my early playing days, my preparation has been to adjust to any position in the batting order because I have never had a fixed position. I want to do well in any position wherever I get a chance. I have kept my preparation in such a way that I should know how to play every situation. I think that's helped me."

Wadhera, 24, is now part of Punjab Kings (PBKS) in IPL 2025. Two years back he was a new kid on the block, there was no baggage, and limited expectations from him. But at PBKS, there is an INR 4.2 crore price tag attached. He also now has two years of IPL experience and is expected to play a key role in the PBKS line-up. It's something he relishes.

"I would like to say that I love playing under tough situations," Wadhera said. "Honestly, players who can win matches from tough situations only go on to play for India. You have to be a match-winner to be able to play for the Indian team."

And Wadhera has often found himself in such tough situations in IPL 2025. He began the season with an unbeaten 25-ball 43 against Lucknow Super Giants, staying unbeaten in the chase. Against Rajasthan Royals, he top-scored with 62 off 41, even though that came in a losing cause.

A couple of weeks later, he made amends against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, where against some fiery bowling on a tricky Chinnaswamy surface, Wadhera hit an unbeaten 19-ball 33 to give PBKS an important win. He has 189 runs in seven innings so far this season at a strike rate of 146.51, but more than the runs, it's his clarity that helps him.

Wadhera spoke about the favourable match-up against Suyash Sharma, whom he targeted during the RCB game and his chat with head coach Ricky Ponting heading into his innings.

"If we talk about the match against RCB, the coach came to me and he told me ,'Nehal, we just need a run-a-ball. You can just go easy.' I said, 'Okay, coach.'

"But as soon as I went inside, I felt that RCB had put a lot of pressure on us at that time. I thought that now that I am in, my match-ups bowlers are in front and this is my responsibility now to help my team cross the line.

"When chasing smaller targets, if a wicket falls early, then there's a lot of pressure. So, as soon as Suyash came on, I knew that he was just trying to bowl the googly and that made it easier for me to hit him straight."

It hasn't been all rosy for Wadhera, especially in this last year. He had an average IPL 2024, where he managed just 109 runs in six innings, without a fifty and then a below-par SMAT 2024-25, where he scored 97 runs in six innings. It made him go back to the basics and analyse the root cause of his lean run.

"There is always a time in everyone's careers where you are not able to score well even when you are trying really hard. That time came with me this year, in Syed Mushtaq Ali," Wadhera said. "But I am not someone who gives up.

"I went through my videos to see what problems I was facing, why didn't I do well in Mushtaq Ali. I just try to collect all the positives which I can, but at the same time, I also introspect all the weaknesses which can actually cause me trouble in my upcoming games and I am working on that.

"I don't go with the intention that I want to score a hundred in this match or help the team reach 200-250. Because if you plan so far ahead, you end up not doing well. And I have faced this before. I just go with the intent that if the ball is in my range, I have practiced well, I will go for my shot. Nine times out of ten, I know I'll clear the ground. It is possible that I will get out once. But if I have worked so hard on a shot, I will back it."

Wadhera was also effusive in praise of Shreyas Iyer, the PBKS captain and the bond he shares with Ponting. The captain-coach duo had a stint together previously at Delhi Capitals, and Wadhera says it's helped in welcoming the newbies into the PBKS set-up.

Wadhera is someone who wants to work on his faults and get better, something PBKS could resonate with having not made the playoffs since 2014. They have both started IPL 2025 on the right note and will hope they now get into the final four, if not to the podium to lift the trophy.