Top 3 IPL knocks of Deepak Hooda

Surprisingly, Deepak Hooda, the 26-year-old all-rounder who currently represents Rajasthan in the domestic circuit, has been included in the Indian ODI squad for the upcoming three-match series against the West Indies. The series begins on February 6 at Ahmedabad.

Whether he gets to feature in the XI or not, with the 2022 IPL auction just around the corner, the Team India call-up itself is a positive sign for the talented all-rounder. He is also set to go under the hammer after being released by Punjab Kings ahead of the mega auction.

On that note, let's look at the top three batting performances by Deepak Hooda in the IPL since making his debut back in 2015.

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3) 54 off 25 (Rajasthan Royals v Delhi Capitals at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, 2015 IPL)

Playing just his second game, Hooda announced his arrival at the IPL fraternity in style with a Man of the Match winning knock

Batting first, Delhi put up 184-3 in 20 overs courtesy a quality batting after being put in to bat first by Royals skipper Steve Smith. Chasing 185 runs for their second consecutive victory of the season, the inaugural IPL winners were reduced to 78-4 at one stage.

Playing just his second IPL game, the then 19-year-old Deepak Hooda proved his hard-hitting abilities during that edge-of-the-seat, mammoth chase by smashing Delhi Capitals bowlers all over the park. His man-of-the-match-winning knock of 54 off 25 balls included three fours and four sixes at an astonishing strike rate of 216.

Royals eventually won that game by three wickets, having scored the winning runs on the last ball. With his economic spell of 0/20 in four overs and a match-winning, quickfire half-century, Deepak Hooda announced his arrival in the IPL in style.

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2) 62* off 30 (Punjab Kings v Chennai Super Kings at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, 2020 IPL)

Deepak Hooda's knock wasn't enough to gift a win for Punjab as CSK's top three batters proved too hot to handle for KL Rahul's men

Post his two-year stint with Rajasthan Royals, the Rohtak-born all-rounder was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for a whopping ₹ 4.2 crores at 2016 IPL auction. Hooda, however, did not have a memorable stint with the franchise during his four-year stay with them.

Ahead of the 2020 IPL, he was bought by Punjab Kings for just ₹50 lakhs at the auction. In one of the league games against Chennai Super Kings at Abu Dhabi, the 26-year-old once again lit-up the game with his astonishing strikes.

After a decent start of 48-0 in just 5.2 overs, courtesy openers KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, the 2014 IPL runners-up were reduced to 72-4 in 12 overs.

Hooda, who walked on to the crease in that situation, took centre-stage and anchored Punjab's innings from there on, amassing 62* off just 30 balls. His unbeaten knock comprised three fours and four sixes, thereby helping the Mohali-based franchise put up a decent total of 153-6 in 20 overs.

Unfortunately, Hooda's efforts were in vain as Punjab lost the game by nine wickets. Chennai Super Kings' top three batters proved too hot to handle for the Punjab bowlers.

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1) 64 off 28 (Punjab Kings v Rajasthan Royals at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, 2021 IPL)

Hooda scored his third IPL half-century against his former franchise, the Rajasthan Royals last season

Hooda, who was retained by the Punjab Kings ahead of the IPL's 14th season, gave them a cracking start in the side's first fixture of the edition. Playing against his former franchise, the Rajasthan Royals, Deepak Hooda brought up his third IPL half-century, amassing 64 runs off just 28 balls at a strike-rate of 228.57

Though KL Rahul ended up as Punjab's highest run-getter during that game, Hooda supported his skipper quite ably at the other end as the duo put up a 105-run third-wicket partnership.

This helped the team put up a commanding total of 221-6 on board. Hooda's knock comprised a whopping four fours and six sixes as Punjab won the high-scoring thriller by just four runs.