2 weeks ago
Wadhera recalls Ponting's advice during difficult IPL 2026 season
A cricketer named Nehal Wadhera plays for a team called the Punjab Kings.
In 2025, he played really well and scored 369 runs.
But in the 2026 season, he did not score many runs and felt sad about it.
His coach, Ricky Ponting, came to talk to him personally.
Ponting told him the team trusts him, and he just needs to express himself and enjoy the game.
That made Nehal feel supported and more confident.
Nehal says that being around hard-working coaches and players helps everyone improve.
He watches how captain Shreyas Iyer trains early, goes to the gym, and eats well, and learns from his example.
Now the team is practising together at a training camp in New Chandigarh.
Punjab Kings batter Nehal Wadhera credited head coach Ricky Ponting with creating a positive and encouraging environment in the franchise.
Wadhera scored 369 runs in 16 matches during IPL 2025 but managed just 65 runs in the difficult 2026 edition.
Ponting personally approached Wadhera and told him, 'You are our senior player, we back you, and you just have to express yourself, enjoy yourself.'
Wadhera said captain Shreyas Iyer and other senior players set an example through disciplined training, fitness and diet routines.
PBKS commenced a five-day off-season training camp in New Chandigarh on August 11, running until August 15, with six players including Wadhera.
- Who
- Nehal Wadhera, Punjab Kings (PBKS) batter, and head coach Ricky Ponting, with captain Shreyas Iyer and the PBKS coaching staff.
- What
- Wadhera credited Ponting for fostering a positive team environment and recalled Ponting's personal reassurance during his poor IPL 2026 season; PBKS also began an off-season training camp.
- Where
- New Chandigarh, Punjab, India.
- When
- Reported around August 14, 2026; the training camp runs from August 11 to August 15, 2026.
- Why
- Wadhera explained how the supportive coaching culture and senior players' example boosted his confidence and motivation during a difficult period.
Key facts
- Player
- Nehal Wadhera, 25-year-old left-handed batter
- Team
- Punjab Kings (PBKS)
- Head Coach
- Ricky Ponting
- Captain
- Shreyas Iyer
- IPL 2025 Performance
- 369 runs in 16 matches; average 30.75; strike rate over 145
- IPL 2026 Performance
- 65 runs
- Auction
- ₹4.20 crore by PBKS in 2025 mega auction (base price ₹30 lakh); released by Mumbai
- Training Camp
- August 11-15, 2026, New Chandigarh, with six players
Quotes
Nehal Wadhera
Punjab Kings left‑handed batter
“"He was the first person to come to that player. Even though I wasn't doing well this season, he came up to me himself, and I was really disappointed. I was talking to him, and he was like, ‘You are our senior player, we back you, and you just have to express yourself, enjoy yourself.’”
livemint.com
Sources
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