'I totally blame myself' - Nehal Wadhera explains what cost Punjab Kings the IPL 2025 final against RCB

One week removed from Punjab Kings' (PBKS) agonising defeat in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Nehal Wadhera took the blame upon himself for not being able to take his team over the line.

Wadhera had a fantastic season, as he scored 369 runs from 16 matches at an average of 30.75 and a strike-rate of 145.85. The Southpaw scored two half-centuries during the campaign and showed the capability to perform under pressure. In Qualifier 2, Wadhera forged a match-winning stand of 84 runs off 47 balls with captain Shreyas Iyer as PBKS chased down a 204-run target in Ahmedabad against five-time champions Mumbai Indians.

However, Wadhera couldn't replicate his heroics in the summit clash when PBKS were chasing a target of 191 runs at the same venue in the summit clash. The Punjab batter couldn't find his timing and was eventually dismissed for 15 off 18 balls. Shashank Singh's late blitzkrieg reduced PBKS' margin of defeat to just six runs, as they were eluded of their IPL victory.

Wadhera said that he wanted to take the game deep but rued the fact that he couldn't accelerate in the all-important fixture.

"I totally blame myself. If I had played better at that time, we could have definitely won. I won't blame the pitch because RCB scored 190 runs. I think I was just taking the game deep, and I believe in finishing games by taking it deep. I think this was one of those days when I couldn't finish the game. When I had to accelerate in all the tournaments, whenever I accelerated, I think it paid off except for the last game," Wadhera told as quoted by HT.

"Some days, it doesn't click, and I think it was the same day when it didn't happen. But I don't have any regrets that I was taking the game deep, and that situation was fine because the wickets were falling, but I think I could have accelerated a little more, which I have learnt and analysed," he added.

The way he behaves off the field, his attitude is reflected in the game: Wadhera

The 24-year-old heaped praise on his skipper, Shreyas, who took PBKS to their first final in 11 years with his astute leadership. The Mumbai batter also finished as the sixth-highest run-getter in the tournament.

"The way he behaves off the field, his attitude is reflected in the game and I think a good captain, his attitude, the way he speaks, the way he handles people, if he is good, he is automatically a good leader and I think he is a perfect example for that," Wadhera said.