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The Indian domestic season has already begun with the ongoing Duleep Trophy. The 2026/2027 Ranji season is set to run from October 11, 2026, to March 3, 2027. Ahead of the start of the Ranji season, Deepak Hooda is set to return to Baroda after nearly five years since he left the team following a controversy.
Jammu and Kashmir won their maiden Ranji title, defeating Karnataka in the final. Baroda finished 4th in Elite Group A during the 2024–25 Ranji Trophy group stage, narrowly missing the knockout stages with 17 points from 7 matches (2 wins, 2 losses, 3 draws). This year, they will look to qualify for the next round and perform well in the tournament.
"Yes, Deepak is coming back": BCA on Deepak Hooda's return
Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Deepak Hooda left Baroda after a controversy with all-rounder Krunal Pandya back in 2021 during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and featured for Rajasthan since then. The CEO of Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) CEO Snehal Parikh, while speaking with Times of India, stated that the former is coming back to the side.
"Yes, Deepak is coming back to Baroda. He and Krunal (Pandya) have spoken to each other. Everything is sorted between them," Baroda Cricket Association CEO Snehal Parikh confirmed to TOI. Parikh said that "all issues between BCA and Hooda had been sorted now."
Why did Deepak Hooda leave Baroda?
Back during the 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Hooda and Krunal Pandya had an argument between them on the eve of the tournament in January 2021. The former left the team hotel, publicly alleging bad behaviour, abusive language and bullying by Krunal, who was the captain. The BCA banned Hooda for the 2020-21 season on grounds of indiscipline.
The dispute came to light in the Indian domestic circuit, and the decision to impose a ban instead of addressing the claims publicly only added to the controversy. After the ban, Deepak Hooda shifted his base to Rajasthan, and from the 2021-22 domestic season onwards till the last season, he played for the very team.
Deepak Hooda's career
Deepak Hooda has been an experienced campaigner in the Indian domestic format. In 67 first-class matches for Baroda, he has piled up 4,267 runs at an average of 45.39, with 14 centuries, 18 half-centuries and a highest individual score of 293 not out. His bowling in the format has also been decent: 29 wickets at 41.44, with a best bowling of 5/31.
He has played 109 List A matches, and scored 3,340 runs at 38.83, including six centuries and 17 half-centuries, with a highest score of 104. He has also taken 42 wickets in the format at 29.92, with a best of five for 55. Across 230 T20 matches, he has made 3,972 runs at 24.67, with two centuries and a highest score of 108.
In international cricket, he has played 10 ODIs and 21 T20Is, and has scored 368 runs at 30.66 and taken six wickets at 12.66 in the shortest format of the game, and also scored a hundred in this format.
