"Mumbai Indians had the chance to retain Nehal Wadhera" - MI fans rue as PBKS all-rounder scores 25-ball 43* vs LSG in IPL 2025

Former Mumbai Indians (MI) all-rounder Nehal Wadhera scored an unbeaten 43 off 25 balls as the Punjab Kings (PBKS) defeated the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by eight wickets. The match was played at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday, April 1.

Wadhera was released by Mumbai after IPL 2024 and was roped in by Punjab for ₹4.20 crore at the mega-auction. Playing his first game of the season, the 24-year-old all-rounder from Punjab showed his potential, hitting an unbeaten 43, including three boundaries and four sixes.

The southpaw came in at No.4 and took the attack to the LSG bowlers with his clean hitting. He shared an unbeaten 67-run partnership with skipper Shreyas Iyer to help his side chase down 172 runs in just 16.2 overs.

Fans on social media were excited about Nehal Wadhera's stunning show with the bat. Many Mumbai Indians also slammed the franchise for letting him go before the auction.

Here are some reactions:

"Man Nehal Wadhera used to look such a great talent when he started at MI but don't know what happened to him in last couple of years, he was looking shadow of himself in Sher E Punjab league & here looking totally out of touch. Still, I know he will perform and we gotta back him," a fan wrote on X.

"We went from impact player Nehal Wadhera to impact player Robin Minz," another fan wrote.

"These guys actually selected Naman dhir for Nehal wadhera bhai. Rohit who prolly has the best talent ID after Ganguly named on the same level as Tilak and these guys left him for skinny," a fan chimed.

"Mumbai Indians had the chance to retain Nehal Wadhera in 4 cr. Sad but we move," another fan wrote on X.

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"I wanted to play my shots and take my chances" - PBKS all-rounder Nehal Wadhera on his mindset while batting

The Punjab-born all-rounder talked about his mindset during his knock against the Lucknow Super Giants. The southpaw asserted that he wanted to play his shots and showcase his experience.

Speaking to host broadcasters after the match, Nehal Wadhera stated (via Cricbuzz):

"When I went in to bat, I wanted to play my shots and take my chances. The way Shreyas has been captaining the side it has been great, the way he told me to play my natural game and go with the flow of the game, it’s great. The experience which I gained in these last two years, I wanted to showcase my experience here with Punjab. That’s how I have been preparing."