Deepak Ram Niwas Hooda (born 10 June 1994) is an Indian professional

Kabaddi Kabaddi (, ) is a contact team sport played between two teams of seven players. It is one of the traditional games of South Asia. In this game, a raider enters the opposing half of the court to touch defenders and attempt to return within 30 ...

player and the former captain of

India national kabaddi team The India men's national kabaddi team represents India in international men's kabaddi competitions. The team is by far the most successful national kabaddi side of any country, winning gold medals at the Asian Games in 1990 (the first year the ...

. He was part of the Indian team which won gold medal at the

2016 South Asian Games The 2016 South Asian Games, officially the XII South Asian Games, is a major multi-sport event which took place from 5 February to 16 February 2016 in Guwahati and Shillong, India. A total of 2,672 athletes competed in 226 events over 22 sports ...

. He has also featured in all the seasons of the

Pro Kabaddi League The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) is an Indian professional Kabaddi league for men. It premiered in 2014 and airs on Star Sports. It is the most popular kabaddi league in the world and the third most watched sports league in India after the India ...

. Deepak is regarded as one of the best all rounder in the Pro Kabaddi League history.

Early life

Hooda was born in a farming family in the Chamaria Village of the

Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...

Rohtak district Rohtak district is a district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is located in the southeast of the state and northwest of Delhi, bounded by Jind and Sonipat districts to the north, Jhajjar and Sonipat districts to the east, and Hissar, C ...

. He lost his mother when he was four year old. He started playing

kabaddi Kabaddi (, ) is a contact team sport played between two teams of seven players. It is one of the traditional games of South Asia. In this game, a raider enters the opposing half of the court to touch defenders and attempt to return within 30 ...

in his village in 2009. He was studying in the

twelfth grade Twelfth Grade (also known as Grade 12, Senior Year, Standard 12, 12th Standard, 12th Class, or Class 12th or Class 12) is the twelfth and final Educational stage, year of Formal education, formal or compulsory education. It is typically the final ...

when his father, Ram Nivas, demised in the 2013, which made him the sole breadwinner. Due to that, he had to leave his studies and become a part-time teacher. For the next two years, after completing his job at the school, he would go to other villages to practice

, which helped him improve his game immensely. He then pursued his graduation. There, he played at the All-India University tournament and won a gold medal. After that, he left his studies once again to pursue a career in kabaddi.

Career

Hooda was part of the Haryana team that bagged gold at the Senior National level tournament in

Patna Patna (; , ISO 15919, ISO: ''Paṭanā''), historically known as Pataliputra, Pāṭaliputra, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, ...

in 2014. He made his debut for the

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

at the

, where his team won a gold medal.

Pro Kabaddi League

At the auction of the inaugural season of the

in 2014, Hooda was a recipient of the second highest bid, having been bought for

₹ The Indian rupee sign ⟨₹⟩ is the currency symbol for the Indian rupee (ISO 4217: INR), the official currency of India. Designed by D. Udaya Kumar, it was presented to the public by the Government of India on 15 July 2010, following its ...

12.6

lakh A lakh (; abbreviated L; sometimes written lac) is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand (100,000; scientific notation: 105). In the Indian 2, 2, 3 convention of digit grouping, it is written as 1,00,000. F ...

by the

Telugu Titans Telugu Titans is a professional kabaddi team based in Hyderabad, Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Decca ...

. In 2016, after remaining part of the Telugu Titans for the first two seasons, Hooda joined the

Puneri Paltan Puneri Paltan is a professional kabaddi team that represents the city of Pune, Maharashtra in the Pro Kabaddi League. The team, coached by Ashok Shinde, plays at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex. In the 10th season of the Pro Kabaddi Le ...

for the third and fourth seasons. In the third place play-off, Hooda top-scored with nine raid points for the

, helping them to make a podium finish in the third season.

Personal life

On 7 July 2022, Hooda married boxer Saweety Boora.

References

External links

Profile
at the

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hooda, Deepak Niwas Living people 1994 births Indian male kabaddi players Pro Kabaddi League players Kabaddi players from Haryana People from Rohtak district Kabaddi players at the 2018 Asian Games Medalists at the 2018 Asian Games Asian Games bronze medalists for India Asian Games kabaddi players for India Asian Games bronze medalists in kabaddi South Asian Games gold medalists for India South Asian Games medalists in kabaddi Recipients of the Arjuna Award