Nehal Wadhera, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) left-hander, has candidly acknowledged that IPL 2026 was a season he would rather move on from — one where his timing deserted him and he managed only 65 runs in eight games, a sharp contrast to the 369 runs in 16 games he posted in IPL 2025. Speaking at the franchise's off-season camp in New Chandigarh, Wadhera offered an unusually honest appraisal of his lean run, without deflection or excuses.

A Season to Forget

A year ago, Wadhera was among the more compelling stories of the IPL 2025 campaign — a composed finisher who played a key hand in Punjab Kings' run to the final, including an unbeaten 33 in the rain-hit group stage clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). That season ended with RCB lifting the title in Ahmedabad, with Wadhera scratchy in the final.

IPL 2026 brought a very different experience. The fluency that defined his previous campaign simply did not materialise. 'I mean, I just couldn't click this year. I had certain expectations out of me. But, yes, it didn't click — so it didn't click. But I definitely learned a lot of things out of it, and I'm working on it now. Every player goes through such patches in their career. This season was one of those times when I couldn't do well,' Wadhera said in a conversation on Thursday.

Support from Iyer and Ponting

Rather than withdraw, Wadhera kept the lines of communication open with PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer — recently named India's T20I skipper — and head coach Ricky Ponting, even as the franchise's season unravelled in the second half. 'The chats we had were always really positive. I did not do well, and yes, I did not deserve to be playing all those games. I did get my chances and could not grab them. So, I don't have any regrets that I did not play much,' he said.

Ponting's assessment, Wadhera recalled, mirrored his own: that form can be elusive regardless of effort. 'Even Ricky was really happy with the way I was batting in practice. But it was the same response from him — that it just doesn't click sometimes,' he added. Notably, the same message coming from both the captain and the head coach appears to have helped Wadhera process the difficult run without it becoming a crisis of confidence.

Off-Season Camp in New Chandigarh

The work of rebuilding is now underway at Punjab Kings' off-season camp in New Chandigarh, where Wadhera is training alongside Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh under the watch of assistant bowling coach Trevor Gonsalves. Rain has interrupted some of the practice games, but open net sessions have continued.

'Whenever we are having our sessions, he is always standing there and recording us. He's always showing us our videos to see where we can improve. These camps help us because we have such quality bowlers — all the cream of Punjab bowlers — and they also bring their best game forward while bowling to us,' Wadhera said. He described the setup as genuinely resource-rich, with gym, physiotherapy, rehab, and pool facilities all on hand.

Eyes on IPL 2027 and the Domestic Season

Wadhera's immediate focus is the upcoming domestic season with Himachal Pradesh, with IPL 2027 the longer-term target. He was briefly part of the India 'A' setup and is keen to rebuild the consistency that made him stand out in 2025. He stopped short of making grand promises about a comeback season, but was clear about his mindset. 'I've practised well, and I know if I'm brought into this similar situation again, I'll end up doing well,' he said.

For a player who came into the spotlight relatively recently, the willingness to sit with a bad season rather than paper over it may be the most telling sign of what comes next.