Deepak Hooda Returns to Baroda Cricket: A Reunion After Rift

Deepak Hooda’s homecoming to Baroda has finally been sealed, drawing a line under one of domestic cricket’s most talked-about fallouts in recent years.

Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) CEO Snehal Parikh confirmed the move, stating that Hooda and Baroda stalwart Krunal Pandya have spoken and resolved their differences. For a relationship that once exploded on the eve of a season, that alone marks a significant shift.

Rift to reunion

Hooda’s departure from Baroda in early 2021 was anything but quiet. On the eve of Baroda’s first match in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he walked out of the team hotel, later alleging that then-captain Krunal Pandya’s “bad behaviour,” abusive language and “bullying” had left him “depressed, demoralised and under pressure.”

The BCA responded firmly, banning him for the entire 2020-21 season on grounds of indiscipline. Hooda then moved to Rajasthan as a professional for the 2021-22 domestic season, rebuilding his career away from his home association.

Now, five years after that split, the door has reopened. “Yes, Deepak is coming back to Baroda… Everything is sorted between them,” Parikh confirmed, underlining that all issues between the association and the player have been resolved.

A heavyweight return

Hooda doesn’t return as a prodigal talent. He comes back as a seasoned, numbers-backed batting allrounder.

In 67 first-class matches, the 31-year-old has piled up 4,267 runs at an impressive average of 45.39, with 14 centuries and 18 fifties. His highest score, a marathon 293 not out, underlines his ability to bat long and dominate attacks. With the ball, he has chipped in with 29 wickets at 41.44, including a best of 5 for 31.

His List A record is equally solid: 3,340 runs in 109 matches at 38.83, featuring six centuries and 17 half-centuries, plus 42 wickets at 29.92 with a best of 5 for 55. In the game’s shortest format, he has already logged serious mileage — 230 T20s, 3,972 runs at 24.67, two centuries and a highest of 108.

At international level, Hooda has represented India in 10 ODIs (153 runs at 25.50 and three wickets at 39.66) and 21 T20Is (368 runs at 30.66, six wickets at 12.66). His last outing for India came in a T20I against New Zealand on February 1, 2023. A strong domestic season with Baroda could put his name back into serious national conversation.

Baroda’s white-ball core and a new fast-bowling mentor

While Hooda returns to strengthen the middle order and add balance with the ball, Baroda will retain another key white-ball piece. Wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma will continue to represent Baroda as a guest player, but only in limited-overs formats, Parikh confirmed. His presence, alongside Hooda, gives Baroda a powerful core for the Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare campaigns.

Off the field, the BCA has made a significant appointment for its future pace stocks. Former India fast bowler Munaf Patel has been named pace bowling coach and mentor at the BCA Academy in Vadodara. A World Cup winner with experience across conditions, Munaf’s role at the academy points to a clear intent: sharpen the next generation while stabilising the present.

So Baroda get back a proven run-getter, heal an old wound, and bring in a World Cup-winning quick to guide their young bowlers. For a team looking to reassert itself on the domestic circuit, this is more than just a reunion. It feels like the start of a reset.