IPL 2023, RCB vs MI: Who is Nehal Wadhera, Mumbai Indians power-hitter who smashed 101 m six on debut?

Written By Prashant Tamta | Updated: Apr 02, 2023, 10:07 PM IST

IPL 2023, RCB vs MI: Nehal Wadhera scored 21 runs in 13 balls with a four and 2 sixes for Mumbai Indians.

IPL 2023, RCB vs MI: Mumbai Indians (MI) scored 171 runs in 20 overs in their first match of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2023) against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Sunday. But what impressed the MI fans is the fierce batting of debutant Nehal Wadhera. He came to bat after the departure of Suryakumar Yadav (15) and impressed the fans even as he had a short stay at the crease. 

Debutant Nehal Wadhera scored 21 runs in 13 balls with a four and 2 sixes. He smashed a 101-metre-long six in his first match. But who is Nehal Wadhera?

Nehal was born in Ludhiana, Punjab. He made his debut in IPL 2023 season for the Mumbai Indians (MI) in their first match against RCB on Sunday (April 2)

The 22-year-old Wadhera was bought for his base price of Rs 20 lakh at the IPL 2023 auction in December last year. He smashed 123 runs on his Ranji Trophy debut against Gujarat earlier in January this year.

He has been dubbed as the “new-age Yuvraj Singh” for his impressive performances in the middle-order. He first showcased his talent in the 2018 U-19 Cooch Behar Trophy. He scored six half-centuries in the trophy.

He then made his U-19 debut for India against Sri Lanka and scored 81 runs. The left-handed batsman is yet to make his T20 debut in domestic cricket.

READ | Watch: Dinesh Karthik, Mohd Siraj in massive collision as RCB drop Rohit Sharma sitter