Deepak Niwas Hooda is an Indian cricketer who plays as a right-handed batting all-rounder, also bowling right-arm off-break. He has represented India in international cricket and has been associated with several franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Hooda first came to prominence through age-group cricket and domestic performances before earning his international debut.
| Key Facts | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Deepak Niwas Hooda |
| Date of birth | 19 April 1995 |
| Birthplace | Rohtak, Haryana, India |
| Role | All-rounder |
| Batting | Right-handed |
| Bowling | Right-arm off-break |
| Domestic team | Rajasthan (Ranji Trophy) |
| National side | India |
Deepak Hooda was born on 19 April 1995 in Rohtak, Haryana. Although he has Haryana roots, he moved to Rajasthan early in his career and developed as a cricketer through the Rajasthan Cricket Association's age-group structure. He represented India at the Under-19 level, including in the 2014 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup held in the United Arab Emirates, where he was among India's notable performers.
Hooda made his first-class debut for Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy and quickly established himself as one of the most promising young all-rounders on the domestic circuit. He scored heavily in the lower middle order and contributed with off-spin, becoming a regular in Rajasthan's senior side across the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
His performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India's premier domestic Twenty20 competition, drew particular attention from IPL franchises and national selectors.
Hooda has played for multiple franchises in the IPL since being signed at a young age. His IPL associations include:
He has been valued in T20 cricket for his ability to clear the boundary in the death overs and to contribute with part-time off-spin during the middle phase of the innings.
Hooda made his debut for the senior India team in the limited-overs formats. He has appeared in Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) and One Day Internationals (ODIs) for India. A notable highlight came in 2022, when he scored a century in a T20I against Ireland in Dublin, becoming one of the few Indian batters to register a hundred in the format. He has also been part of India's squads in bilateral series and Asia Cup tournaments.
Hooda is regarded as a clean striker of the ball, particularly strong against spin, and is comfortable batting in the middle order. He uses his off-break bowling primarily as a containing option in white-ball cricket and is considered useful for balancing the side as a sixth bowling option.
Deepak Hooda is an example of a cricketer who emerged through the Rajasthan domestic system rather than the more traditional metropolitan pathways, and is among a generation of Indian all-rounders who transitioned from age-group success and the IPL into the senior national side. His T20I century placed him among a small group of Indian batters to achieve the feat in international Twenty20 cricket.