Nehal Wadhera Takes Blame for Punjab Kings’ IPL Final Loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru

A week after PBKS's six-run IPL 2025 final loss to RCB, uncapped batter Nehal Wadhera surprisingly took the blame upon himself for the defeat.

Nehal Wadhera Takes Blame for Punjab Kings’ IPL Final Loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Nehal Wadhera took blame for PBKS' IPL final defeat to RCB. (via Hindustan)

Punjab Kings batter Nehal Wadhera, a week after the team’s disappointing IPL 2025 final defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, surprisingly took the blame upon himself for not being able to take his team over the line. PBKS lost the final by a slim margin of six runs. 

PBKS had a memorable IPL 2025 run, making it to the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. Despite a humiliating Qualifier 1 defeat to RCB, Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings came back to take down five-time IPL winners Mumbai Indians in the second Qualifier to advance into the final. Many anticipated Iyer to lead PBKS to their maiden IPL title this summer, especially after captaining KKR to the trophy just last season.

In the final, PBKS even managed to restrict their opponent to a seemingly below-par first innings total of just 190 runs. Virat Kohli top-scored for RCB, hitting a much-needed 43 runs off 35 balls at a strike rate of 122.86, while Arshdeep Singh and Kyle Jamieson took three wickets each for PBKS. The 191-run target looked an easy one for PBKS, who had already chased down a massive 207-run target against MI.

However, PBKS faltered, despite a decent start by openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, and a 39-run knock by Australian wicket-keeper Josh Inglis. They eventually finished with 184 runs, despite a blistering 61-run innings by Shashank Singh in the dying moments. Fans believed that the pitch became difficult to bat on in the second innings, resulting in the match slipping out of PBKS’ hands.

Uncapped batter Nehal Wadhera, however, disagreed with the view, as he blamed himself for the team’s dismal final loss. The 24-year-old, who enjoyed a breakout season with PBKS, ended the tournament with 369 runs in 16 matches at an impressive strike-rate of 145.85. He scored two-half centuries, and even forged a match-winning 84-run stand off just 47 balls with Shreyas Iyer, in Qualifier 2 against MI.

However, he failed to replicate his heroics in the final, scoring just 15 off 18 balls. He struggled with his timing and was eventually dismissed in the 17th over by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Wadhera acknowledged his poor display in the final, while stating that he wanted to take the game deep but could not accelerate when his team needed it the most. He refrained from blaming the pitch conditions, and stating that he was at fault for failing to close out the match:

I totally blame myself. If I had played better at that time, we could have definitely won… I think I was just taking the game deep, and I believe in finishing games by taking it deep.

Despite their heartbreaking final defeat, the Punjab Kings team remained upbeat, celebrating their first playoff appearance in 11 years. Nehal Wadhera particularly lauded skipper Shreyas Iyer, hailing his sharp leadership and exemplary conduct both on and off the field.

IPL 2025 Uncapped Stars: Nehal Wadhera, Naman Dhir, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Priyansh Arya and Others Stole the Show

The 18th edition of the IPL was a remarkable one, especially for launching the careers of many talented uncapped players. Nehal Wadhera, Digvesh Rathi, Priyansh Arya and Naman Dhir are among those players who made a mark this season. 

IPL 2025 uncapped players
2025 IPL best uncapped players: Naman Dhir, Priyansh Arya, Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Nehal Wadhera. (via ESPN Cricinfo)

Wadhera ended the season with an impressive 369 runs, while Arya finished with 475 runs, including his first IPL hundred, against CSK. It was also a season for records, as 14-year-old Rajasthan Royals opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the youngest player to feature in an IPL match. He also became the youngest to smash a hundred, reaching the milestone in just 35 balls, against GT.

Apart from them, several other uncapped players produced moments of brilliance this season. DC’s Vipraj Nigam, MI’s Ashwani Kumar, Naman Dhir and Vignesh Puthur, LSG spinner Digvesh Rathi, SRH’s Aniket Verma, CSK’s Ayush Mhatre and KKR Angkrish Raghuvanshi are a few of them.