The Hyderabad-born defender started his career in Gujarat at the age of nine but moved to Mumbai and captained the U16s and the U18s state sides before joining Mumbai FC in 2017. In this time, Nikhil was named the ‘Best Defender’ on a fair few occasions like in the U17 Maharashtra State Championship and the MDFA Super Division as he continued to impress in various competitions like Khelo India games, MDFA Elite Division and the Santosh Trophy. He captained the Hyderabad FC side in the 2nd Division League last year and is a part of the first-team squad for the 2020-21 Indian Super League campaign.