Deepak Hooda: The Rising Star And All-Rounder

Junior Hooda, the son of Air Force soldiers and a kabaddi player, has been involved in sports since he was a toddler. He began playing cricket in elementary school. He made his senior cricket debut at the age of 14 when he played for the Kendriya Vidyalaya U-17 cricket team in the SGFI in 2009. He began his career as a wicket-keeper batter before transitioning to batting all-rounder.

Hooda is a “highly accurate bowler,” according to his coach, Sanjiv Sawant. Hooda is also noted for his fielding skills. He made his IPL debut for Rajasthan Royals against Punjab Kings (formerly Kings XI Punjab) on 10 April 2015, scoring 30 runs off 15 balls. He got his first half-century in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals against Delhi Daredevils, scoring 54 off 25 balls and winning man of the match.

Hooda made his first double-century in first-class cricket while playing for Baroda in the 2016–17 Ranji Trophy fourth round.

Hooda was purchased for 4.2 crores in the 2016 IPL auction by SunRisers Hyderabad. He was retained before the 2017 auction, however, the franchise dropped him following the 10th season of the IPL. Sunrisers Hyderabad purchased him in the 2018 IPL auction in January 2018. Prior to the 2020 IPL auction, he was released by the Sunrisers Hyderabad. He was purchased by the Kings XI Punjab in the 2020 IPL auction ahead of the Indian Premier League.

Hooda was purchased by the Lucknow Super Giants at 5.75 crores in the 2022 IPL Auction.

Hooda was selected for India’s Twenty20 International (T20I) series against Sri Lanka in November 2017.

Hooda was picked to India’s Twenty20 International (T20I) team in February 2018, but he did not feature in the tournament. He was picked to India’s team for the 2018 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup in December 2018. Hooda was picked to India’s One Day International (ODI) squad for a home series against the West Indies in January 2022.

In the first ODI of the series, he made his ODI debut against the West Indies. He was also included in India’s Twenty20 International (T20I) team for their series against the West Indies the following month. He was also chosen for India’s T20I team for their series against Sri Lanka in February 2022. On February 24, 2022, he made his T20I debut for India against Sri Lanka.