Deepak Niwas Hooda

Deepak Niwas Hooda
Personal information
Full name Deepak Niwas Hooda
Nationality Indian
Born 10 June 1994
Chamaria, Rohtak District, Haryana
Occupation Kabaddi player
Years active 2014 – present
Sport
Country India
Sport Kabaddi
Position All-rounder
League PKL
Club
Team India national kabaddi team
Medal record
Representing India
2016 Kabaddi World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2016 Ahmedabad Team
2018 Asian Games
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Jakarta Team
Asian Kabaddi Championship
Gold medal – first place 2017 Gorgan Team
2018 Dubai Kabaddi Masters
Gold medal – first place 2018 Dubai Team
South Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2016 Guwahati Team
Gold medal – first place 2019 Kathmandu Team
Updated on 18 March 2016.

Deepak Ram Niwas Hooda (born 10 June 1994) is an Indian professional Kabaddi player and the former captain of India national kabaddi team. He was part of the Indian team which won gold medal at the 2016 South Asian Games. He has also featured in all the seasons of the Pro Kabaddi League. 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's Rohtak district. He lost his mother when he was four year old. He started playing kabaddi in his village in 2009. He was studying in the twelfth grade 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 kabaddi, 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 in 2014. He made his debut for the national team at the 2016 South Asian Games, where his team won a gold medal.

Pro Kabaddi League

At the auction of the inaugural season of the Pro Kabaddi League in 2014, Hooda was a recipient of the second highest bid, having been bought for 12.6 lakh by the Telugu Titans. In 2016, after remaining part of the Telugu Titans for the first two seasons, Hooda joined the Puneri Paltan for the third and fourth seasons. In the third place play-off, Hooda top-scored with nine raid points for the Puneri Paltan, helping them to make a podium finish in the third season.

Personal life

On 7 July 2022, Hooda married boxer Saweety Boora.