It was a tough pill to swallow for Punjab Kings as they failed to overcome Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2025 final at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The Mohali-based franchise led by Shreyas Iyer reached the second final in their IPL journey, and they had the IPL trophy in sight.

Preity Zinta’s team gave absolutely everything in the tournament, where they braved the challenges in the group stage and ended up as the table-toppers. However, when it came to the ultimate showdown, they came close. But in the end, they lost the IPL 2025 final to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by just six runs.

Nehal Wadhera blames himself for defeat in IPL 2025 final

Meanwhile, one man stood up and took the blame, and it’s not Shreyas Iyer but Nehal Wadhera. Wadhera scored 15 runs from 18 balls in the final at a strike rate of 83.33. His slow innings hurt Punjab badly, and it hampered their chances while they were chasing a big target of 191.

All Punjab needed was two batters to take charge in the middle overs. That didn’t happen. While Shashank Singh accelerated when it mattered, he didn’t get support from the other end. Wadhera soaked up deliveries without scoring. The required rate kept climbing, and the pressure kept piling up before the chase stalled.

“I totally blame myself for the IPL 2025 Final. If I had played better, we could’ve won the IPL,” Wadhera said after the loss. “Earlier in the tournament when I had to accelerate, I did and it paid off—except for the last game.” (Vishesh Roy/HT)

Nehal Wadhera said, "I totally blame myself for IPL 2025 Final. If I had played better, we could've won the IPL. Earlier in the tournament when I had to accelerate, I did and it paid off except for the last game". (Vishesh Roy/HT). pic.twitter.com/KsKIvxhvDd

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 10, 2025

Shashank Singh almost pulled off a miracle. He smashed 61 off 30 balls with the help of three fours and six sixes. He took the game deep. For a moment, it felt like Punjab might steal it. But they fell short. If Wadhera had played even a bit more freely, Shashank wouldn’t have had to do it all alone. He needed support. He didn’t get it. And that made all the difference.

Punjab Kings will look back at this final with regret. They had the firepower and ingredients to go past the finishing line in the IPL 2025 final. But in a match where every ball mattered, Wadhera’s slow knock became the turning point.