After scores of 3, 4, and a majestic 0, Chennai Super Kings finally decided it was time to give Deepak Hooda some well-deserved bench time.
But then they saw the rest of their batting lineup and thought, “You know what, Hooda was actually fine... at least he knows how to wear a helmet properly.”
And so, in a dramatic twist absolutely no one had on their bingo card, Hooda made his heroic return against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. It was a grand comeback — by his standards — as he registered his highest score of the season... 22 runs. Yep, a 21-ball-22 that took his total tally for the season to a jaw-dropping 29 runs in 4 innings. Let’s all pretend to be impressed for a second.
At one point during the death overs, he was standing at 9 runs off 14 balls — yes, in T20 cricket. Things got so grim, even Khaleel Ahmed, a lifelong number 11, was spotted giving him batting tips. That was the final boss level of irony.
Last season, Hooda managed an average of 18.1, which was already dodgy — but this year, he decided to lower the bar even further. A current average of just 7.2 and a strike rate barely scraping past 74. Elite struggle mode.
At this rate, it’s honestly a mystery fit for a full-fledged Netflix docuseries — “How Does Deepak Hooda Still Get Picked in IPL Auctions?”
Let’s not forget — across 11 IPL seasons, there have been five where he hasn’t even crossed 100 runs. That’s right — count them one by one, and they still don’t make a century combined.
The one bright spot? That magical 2022 season with LSG, where he smashed 451 runs, shocking fans, selectors, and probably even himself. His second-best? A far more humble 160 runs in 2021.
And now, we’ve reached a point where, after 11 seasons, he still hasn’t hit 1500 IPL runs.
To put that in perspective: Virat Kohli scores that in two good seasons.
Meanwhile, Hooda’s still out here building his legacy — just in the wrong direction.
