IPL 2026: Deepak Hooda yet to be cleared from suspect bowling list ahead of auction

Deepak Hooda's name has not been removed from list of players with suspect bowling action. With a base price of INR 75 lakh, Hooda features in the AL1 category at the auction, which is scheduled to take place on December 16.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) informed the franchises regarding Hooda's bowling action status on December 13 (Saturday), three days prior to the auction. The 30-year-all-rounder was in the same category in the previous auction as well.

Hooda was bought by CSK ahead of the 2025 edition. He bowled only one over in the six innings he featured in. He has bowled six overs in domestic competitions since then; one over in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy and five in the 2025 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

The last time Hooda bowled was during Rajasthan's clash with Jharkhand on December 8 in Ahmedabad. He will be at a risk of not being able to bowl in the IPL if he gets called for a dubious bowling action.

Some of the other players set to feature in the AL1 category other than Hooda are Venkatesh Iyer, Wanindu Hasaranga and Rachin Ravindra. As per Cricbuzz, the AL1 category will be the second in order to come under the hammer.

As for Hooda's IPL career, he has played for five franchises so far. He started off with Rajasthan Royals in 2015 and then played four seasons on the trot for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Prior to his three-season stint with Lucknow Super Giants, Hooda featured for Punjab Kings in 2020 and 2021.

Abid Mushtaq of Jammu & Kashmir is the only other player deemed to have a suspect bowler action. The 29-year-old left-arm spinner has been listed at a base price of INR 30 lakh. There are two players who were banned from bowling in the IPL since the last season itself (KL Shrijith from Karnataka and Rishabh Chauhan from Madhya Pradesh).