Nehal Wadhera

His first appearance for India Under-19 came against Sri Lanka Under-19, and he marked the occasion with an innings of 81. A big score in the semi-finals of a Punjab State Inter-district tournament in 2022, against Bathinda U-23, raised his profile further, and a scout from Mumbai Indians invited him to trials.

Mumbai Indians picked him up at the 2023 IPL auction. In domestic first-class cricket that 2022-2023 season, he hit a hundred on his Ranji Trophy debut against Gujarat and followed it a couple of games later with a double-century against Madhya Pradesh. He then made his T20 debut in the opening match of IPL 2023. Largely unknown going into the tournament, he contributed several brave short innings in the middle order and posted consecutive half-centuries against CSK and RCB, rewarding the franchise for its support.

MI kept him for the 2024 season, though he was unable to repeat the influence of his first campaign. For Punjab, he produced a 61 off 27 balls in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final against Baroda in 2023, helping his state win the competition for the first time. He is regarded as having a sound temperament and the ability to adapt his batting to the needs of a match.