IPL: A year after ugly spat, Deepak Hooda breaks silence on his relationship with LSG teammate Krunal Pandya opens up on

After the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 auction, one of the major talking points was the inclusion of Krunal Pandya and Deepak Hooda in the same team, especially considering the controversy they were a part of. “Krunal Pandya is like my brother, and brothers do fight. We are playing with one aim, which is to win games for LSG,” said Hooda.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) – the new franchise in the competition – roped in Pandya and Hooda in the bidding process, with mentor Gautam Gambhir handling all the picks. As the franchise began their journey in the ongoing fifteenth season of the cash-rich league, many wondered how would the relationship between Hooda and Krunal turn out in the LSG camp.

Notably, the duo had a fallout during the 2020/21 season of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Baroda. Hooda had left the side accusing skipper Krunal of using abusive language at him, following which the Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) suspended Hooda from that season. The 26-year-old subsequently moved to Rajasthan for the next domestic season, which went incredibly well as he earned a place in India’s T20 side after proving his finishing skills to the selectors.

Hooda scored a superb half-century against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the previous contest and is leading the batting charts in the Lucknow camp.

Speaking about his ambitions for the upcoming T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to be played in Australia later this year, the all-rounder said all he needs to do is keep performing and leave everything rest for the selectors to decide.

“Just like everyone even my dream is to represent India at World Cup, however, my job is deliver good performances and leave the rest for the selectors to decide.”

“I was not watching the IPL auction. We met just like the other players at the team hotel. Whatever happened is in the past, and as I said, we both are playing for the same team and our goals, too, are the same,” he added.

So far, LSG have won three of their four games in IPL 2022. They will now face Rajasthan Royals in their next match on Sunday, April 10.

• Krunal Pandya and Deepak Hooda were involved in a controversy while playing for Baroda in 2021
• Krunal Pandya and Deepak Hooda are playing for the Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2022
• Deepak Hooda expressed his desire of playing for India in the World Cup

By India Today Web Desk: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) all-rounder Deepak Hooda has opened up about his relationship with Krunal Pandya while playing in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL). Back in 2021, the duo was reported to be at loggerheads during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Hooda had accused Pandya of using abusive language and threatening to end his career.+

When enquired about how he reacted after knowing that he would share the dressing room with the senior Pandya, Hooda said they met just like other players in the hotel. At the moment, they are good teammates with a common goal of winning the championship for the Lucknow Super Giants.

Both Krunal and Hooda have been impressive for the KL Rahul-led team in the ongoing IPL. While Hooda played two sensational knocks of 51 and 55 against SRH and GT, respectively, Krunal picked three wickets at a surreal economy of 5.5 in the two games.

Currently, at the 5th position with two victories from 3 games, LSG will be up against DC in their 4th match this Thursday.