Munaf Patel Height, Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Real name/Full name	Munaf Musa Patel [1]Cricketcountry.com
Nickname(s)	Munna [2]Indian Express Limited
Named Earned	• Ikhar Express [3]The Free Press Journal • Lagaan bhai [4]Hindustan Times
Profession	Cricketer (Bowler)
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 190 cm in meters- 1.90 m in feet & inches- 6’ 3”
Weight (approx.)	in kilograms-70 kg in pounds- 155 lbs
Eye Colour	Hazel
Hair Colour	Natural Black
Cricket
International Debut	T20I- On 9 January 2011 against South Africa at Kingsmead Stadium in Durban (South Africa) ODI- On 3 April 2006 against England at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao (Goa) Test- On 9 March 2006 against England at Punjab Cricket Association Cricket stadium in Mohali
Jersey Number	#13 (India) #13 (IPL)
Domestic/State Teams	• Asia XI • India A • India B • India Blue • Indian Legends • Rajputs (T10 league) • India Red • India Green • Indian Board President's XI • West Zone • Gujarat • Maharashtra • Mumbai • Baroda • Gujarat Lions (IPL) • Rajasthan Royals (IPL) • Mumbai Indians (IPL) • Kandy Tuskers (Lanka Premier League)
Coach/Mentor	Chandrakant Pandit
Batting Style	Right hand bat
Bowling Style	Right arm medium fast
Favourite Ball	Leg cutter
Personal Life
Date of Birth	12 July 1983 (Tuesday)
Age (as of 2021)	38 Years
Birthplace	Ikhar village in Bharuch, Gujarat
Zodiac sign	Cancer
Signature
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Ikhar village in Bharuch, Gujarat
Religion	Islam [5]Cricketcountry.com
Hobby	Horse Riding
Controversy	• Rehnuma Bhati Rape Case- In November 2021, underworld gangster Dawood Ibrahim's aide Riyaz Bhati's wife Rehnuma Bhati alleged the rape charge on him including cricketer Hardik Pandya and BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla. In the shocking news from the world of cricket, she added that she was forced to sleep with Munaf and Hardik Pandya. In a statement released on a complaint copy, it was written that [6]The Free Press Journal "The woman further alleged that when she refused to sleep with Rajeev Shukla, she was beaten by Shukla and his friends. She was also forced to dance nude without clothes in front of Shukla and his friends, after which she was raped by them. She added that Shukla kept photos and videos of this first encounter in 2012-13, and used the same to continue to exploit her." • Bogus Documents Scandal- This controversy rose in 2020 when it was alleged that the students who are not from Gujarat were still admitted to the Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) via fake documents. Munaf's name came in the picture during investigation when it was found that the student with the bogus documents hails from Ikhar village, the same village from where Munaf belong. [7]Crictracker.com • Match Fixing Scandal- In 2018, Munaf was arrested by the Rajasthan police after he was allegedly spotted on the sidelines of the Rajputana Premier League, which saw some suspicious passages of play.Terming all these allegations as frill, Munaf told in a telephonic interview, [8]The New Indian Express "I don’t know why this kind of news is surfacing now after a year. I have never been questioned relating to the league earlier. I have no idea what is going on. I did go in the opening ceremony of the event along with two other people. I was there on the field for over four hours. I also answered a few questions related to promotion of cricket.I was invited by Mohammad Aslam, a former Ranji player from Rajasthan, and the organiser of the Rajputana Premier League." • Cheque Bounce Case- In September 2017, it was alleged that Munaf Patel; also the directors of Delhi-based real estate company was involved in a fraud where the funds earned from a client named Sunil Kumar Aggarwal was misused in cricket betting and match-fixing. As a result, Munaf was summoned by the Delhi court. In an hearing, court said, “There is sufficient material on record to summon all the accused persons. Therefore, a prima facie case punishable under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act is made out against them. This court, therefore, takes cognizance of offence.”
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Marriage Date	2010
Family
Wife/Spouse	Taslima Patel
Children
Parents	Father- Musa Patel (farmer) Mother- Saeeda Patel (homemaker)
Siblings	Sister- Noorjahan Patel
Style Quotient
Car Collection	Jaguar XF

Some Lesser Known Facts About Munaf Patel

• Munaf Patel is a former Indian speedster widely known for his lanky physique with rhythmic run-up that helps him to generate that extra bit of pace to execute perfect yorkers and seam movements without compromising on his line & length.
  

  Munaf Patel bowling

• He gained prominence during the Cricket World Cup match between India and England on 27 February 2011. Munaf was credited for bowling the last over of the match when England needed 14 runs to win with four wickets in hand. As 9 runs were scored in the first three balls, the match was looking in England’s hand. In the last ball, Munaf just conceded a single and helped India to end the match in a tie.
  

  Munaf Patel taking a return catch off his own bowling during a match against England in the 2011 World Cup

• At the age of 20, he was invited to the MRF’s Pace Foundation in Chennai by then Chairman of the Indian national cricket team; Kiran More. There he caught the eye of its director and former Australian fast bowler, Dennis Lillee. He was then signed by Mumbai in a transfer deal in 2003 before representing his home state, Gujarat.

• His passion for cricket was instilled in him since childhood. Unfortunately, he had to quit cricket in his ninth standard to help his father to run their household expenses. He worked at a marble factory during vacations as a tiles laborer. His work was to choose the best “export quality” tiles and pack them in the boxes. For this, he gets INR 35 a day for an eight-hour shift.  In an interview, he recalls, ^[9]Indian Express Limited
  

  “It was a hard life, but it had become a habit. There wasn’t enough money, but what could we do? Father was the only one earning, and we were in school.”

• Despite all those hardships, Munaf started pursuing his passion (cricket) on the advice of his friend and former Indian cricketer Yusuf Pathan, who took him to Baroda and enrolled him at a cricket club. Remembering those days, Munaf said,
  

  “He bought me Rs 400-worth shoes, and introduced me to a cricket club. Ehsaan rahega zindagi bhar.” (Even today, whenever Yusuf comes down from UK, Munaf hops over to his house. “Kuch bhi kaam hai toh bata dena, bhai.”

  Meanwhile, his father isn’t happy. Every day, at dinner, young Munaf is asked to quit playing cricket and join him at work. He further revealed,

  “I would just stay silent; my mother would tell him to let me play.” For Ikhar, a village of poor cotton farmers, Africa was the passport out of poverty. Every year, a youngster or two would land up at a friend, relative, or acquaintance’s house in Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa, or Zimbabwe to find work in a factory or a shop. Patel had an uncle in Zambia and so his future seemed set in stone. “You can’t blame my father. No one here really knew that cricket had this kind of scope. That I can even earn money from this.”

• He would often struggle while communicating with players of foreign nationalities. In an interview, he told that he would leave the practice early after hitting English batter with regular bouncers. Revealing further, he told,
  

  “Gora tha (He was white), left-handed and the pitches were fast then. I bowled four-five bouncers; one hit his shoulder, one his helmet and other his gloves. He started to come towards me, saying something in English. Mujhe toh English aati nahi tab. But I see that he is angry. So I slip away quickly and dive into the swimming pool. I thought he will complain to Sir, who will throw me out of the academy!”

• After becoming a prominent player, the first thing that he did was to put an end to his father’s labor job. Munaf spent his entire childhood in the village. As his family wasn’t willing to move to a city, Munaf decided to build a new house in his village. In an interview, he told that he loves staying in his village and interestingly, even after winning the 2011 World Cup, Munaf was still living in his village.
  

  Munaf Patel in his village

• He first entered the limelight during a practice game against New Zealand in 2002 where he impressed everyone with his raw pace. But his ability to lose control once hit for boundaries prompted the selectors not to throw him away onto the international stage. He was then told to concentrate on Ranji Trophy, but he didn’t lose heart. Instead, he focussed on his weak point to mold himself as a world-class bowler later in 2006 when he got selected in a Test series against England. He credits his state team Maharashtra and coach for all the success he engulfed from being a newcomer to bagging a place in the Indian national side. He said, ^[10]Hindustan Times
  

  “Maharashtra supported me. Chandrakant Pandit also encouraged me all the way. He taught me many things.”

• In August 2005, he took part in the tour match against England while playing for the Board President’s XI where he took 10 wickets. He was then transferred to Maharashtra.

• In 2005-2006 against West Indies, Munaf proved his potential to be the next big thing in Indian cricket when he was clocking express speeds regularly. Not only this but also, his ability to swing the ball both ways to trouble the batter with his consistent line & length was admired by many cricket experts around the world. However, in ODIs, he was struck for 6 fours in an over by Ramnaresh Sarwan.

• In 2010, Munaf got married to a local girl named Taslima in a private function that includes only his close relatives and friends.
  

  Munaf Patel with his wife and son

• In IPL, he became an integral part of the Rajasthan Royals team for the first two seasons and then Mumbai Indians for the later four seasons in his career. During the IPL auction in 2014, he went unsold. However, in the tenth season of the IPL, he was bought by Gujarat Lions for INR 30 Lakhs.
  

  Munaf Patel (Centre) interacting with Sachin Tendulkar during an IPL match

• In his early cricket days, he had a deep connection with injuries which was criticized by India-A coach Sandeep Patil who alleged that he has a mental problem dealing with injuries. He was then sent to the Australian Institute of Sport for biomechanical analysis on his bowling action to improve his efficiency.

• Soon, he got included in the Indian national side for the second test against England for his splendid performances in the domestic circuit. In this match, he took three crucial wickets while conceding 72 runs in the first inning. In the second inning, he scalped the wickets of Alastair Cook, wicketkeeper Geraint Jones, Liam Plunkett, and Mathew Hoggard. He finished his bowling spell with 7 for 97. Interestingly, it was also a debut match for the former leg spinner Piyush Chawla.
  

  Munaf Patel appealing for LBW against Liam Plunkett during the 2nd test at Mohali (Punjab) in 2006

  

  Munaf (L) and Yuvraj celebrates a wicket during a match against England at Mohali in 2006

• Later, in the second ODI match against Australia on 16 September 2006 in the DLF Cup in Malaysia, he took three wickets and conceded 54 runs which included the wickets of Phil Jaques, Michael Clarke, and Stuart Clark. In the final game of the same tournament, he took the wicket of captain Ricky Ponting for just 4 and ended his spell with 32 for one in nine overs.
  

  Munaf celebrating a wicket against Australia in September 2006

• In October 2006, in a match against England during the Champions Trophy, he bagged three wickets and won the Player of the Match award. Following that performance, he was included in the Indian squad for the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the fifty-overs format where India failed to make it to the super-8 stage.

• Soon after that tournament, he played two games against England in England in August 2007 where he took four wickets and was later omitted from the squad due to injury. He was also left out from the national squad against Pakistan in November in the limited-overs format but later recalled to the Test squad after the injury of R.P. Singh and S. Sreesanth.
  

  Munaf and Sreesanth during a training session

• In 2009, for the tour of Sri Lanka, he got selected where he went wicketless after conceding 32 runs in five overs in the first match. Before the second match, he suffered from a groin injury and was left out from the side from the remaining matches. His cricket career was becoming like a saga of injuries.

• After that, Munaf lost his pace and struggled to make up in the India squad as the spearhead bowler. He was then more of a back-up seamer. He lost his place in the test side despite his decent performances in the limited-overs format. He did a reasonably better job in India’s win in Hamilton.

• The 2011 Cricket World Cup was commencing on 19 February and Munaf was included in the squad in place of injured Praveen Kumar. This team was led by MS Dhoni. Their first match was against the co-hosts Bangladesh. In the second inning, India needs to defend a total of 370 runs. Bangladesh had a decent start, in the seventh over, their opener Imrul Kayes was completely beaten with the slower one by Munaf and knocked off the ball towards his stump after attempting a square cut. In the 33rd over, Munaf turned the table for India after bowling a length ball to Tamim Iqbal towards the middle stump, which Tamim tried to slog toward mid-wicket into the safe hands of Yuvraj Singh. He finished his spell with four for 48 in ten overs. India won this match by 87 runs. Virender Sehwag was awarded the player of the match but it was Munaf who played a key role in wrapping up the Bangladeshi inning.
  

  Munaf Patel (2nd from right) after picking the fourth wicket in a World Cup match against Bangladesh in 2011

• Their next match was against England in Bengaluru. India again put 300 plus runs on the board in their first inning. Chasing the target, England was looking solid when Andrew Strauss and Kevin Peterson took the score to more than 60 runs in nine overs, before Munaf Patel dismissed Peterson; caught and bowled yet again. KP smashed a full delivery into the safe hands of Munaf when he was trying to save his face from the ball. His next victim was Michael Yardy in the 48 over. Yardy was trying to whip the slower one over fine leg where Sehwag took a fine catch at the short fine-leg. In the next two games against the Minnows, Ireland, and the Netherlands, Munaf played only against Ireland and took one wicket. India won both these games.
  

  Munaf Patel after dismissing Kevin Peterson caught and bowled during the 2011 World Cup

• It was looking like an obvious chance for India to qualify for the knock-out stages, not before the match against Proteas which India lost by three wickets. Munaf took two wickets in that match after giving away 65 runs in a full quota of ten overs. In the next match, he was gone wicketless; however, India won that match by 80 runs, thus ending their group stage’s journey.

• Beating Australia in the quarter-finals, India was into the semis where they will be facing the tough rivals; Pakistan. India after batting first gave Pakistan the target of 261 runs to chase. Munaf dismissed their opener, Mohammad Hafeez on the score of 43. He tried the paddle scoop to disturb its line but ultimately got the edge into the hands of Dhoni. India won this match by 29 runs.

• The final match was between India and Sri Lanka at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. This match was won by India and for the second time in the history of cricket, India grabbed the coveted 50-overs Cricket World Cup. Munaf Patel though went wicketless after conceding 41 in nine overs. Munaf ended up being the third-highest wicket-taker for his team with 11 scalps after Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh. The then bowling of Indian cricket team Eric Simmons termed Munaf as the unsung hero of the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
  

  Fireworks at Wankhede Stadium after India winning the 2011 Cricket World Cup

  

  Indian Cricket team meeting the President of India Smt Pratibha Patil after winning the 2011 World Cup. Munaf Patel; 2nd from right

• Just before the World Cup, a preparatory tournament took place between India and South Africa in their homeland where Munaf was bought back to the squad. India lost its first match. In the second match, India score 190 runs on the board. In reply, with the help of Munaf’s splendid performance of 4 for 29 in nine overs and India successfully defended the total. He took the final wicket of Wayne Parnell to help to win his side notch a comprehensive win by one run.

• In July 2020, Munaf opened a COVID-19 facility in his village as this village witnessed five new positive cases.

• Talking about his decision to retire from international cricket, he told, ^[11]International Cricket Council
  

  “There is no regret; after all, the cricketers I played with have retired. Only (MS) Dhoni is left! So, there is no sadness as such. Everyone’s time is up; I would have been sad had others been playing and I had quit.”

  He further adds,

  “There is no special reason (to retire). Age is not on my side, fitness is not the same. Youngsters are there waiting for chances and it doesn’t look nice if I keep hanging on. The main thing is there is no motivation left. I was part of the World Cup-winning team in 2011; there can’t be a greater high than that. I still can’t believe I am quitting cricket as I don’t know anything else. I understand only cricket.”

• Munaf Patel was a man who was often criticized for his tailored choices in a dressing room. A turmoil broke once Munaf didn’t tuck in the shirt during the field. This created differences in the dressing room. However, the team’s captain and legendary Rahul Dravid suggested him to tuck the shirt and end the controversy. Munaf was equally supported by his teammates Sehwag, Yuvraj, and Harbhajan Singh who told him,
  

  “Chodna yaar, hum bhi tuck in nahin karenge kal sey! ( We also won’t tuck our shirts in)”

• After the early exit by India from the 2007 ODI World Cup, most of the Indian team member’s house was attacked by the mob including that of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Zaheer Khan, and MS Dhoni. Tendulkar asked Munaf, ^[12]Indian Express Limited
  

  “Something or other is happening at everyone’s house. What’s on at your home, Munna?”

  To which, he replied,

  “Paaji, jahan main rahta hoon na, udhar aath hazaar log hai and 8,000 mera security hai! (There are 8,000 people where I stay, and those are my security.)

“Tendulkar then laughed and said,

“We might all have to come to your home from here.”

• Reacting to the decision of Virat Kohli, giving up the T20 captaincy after the 2021 World Cup, he wrote on Twitter,
  

  🤔🤔🤔
  💔💔💔@imVkohli we are with you in your Decision. I am sure we will win this #worldcup under your captaincy.
  Wish you All the best.#captaincy https://t.co/ynX37TrO0z

  — Munaf Patel (@munafpa99881129) September 16, 2021

• On 12 November 2021, Munaf got retired from all forms of cricket. Speaking on his retirement, he said, ^[13]LatestLY Media Private Limited
  

  “There is no regret. After all the cricketers I played with, have retired. Only Dhoni is left! There is so sadness a such.”

  He further adds,

  “There is no special reason. I am aging and my fitness is not the same. Youngsters are waiting in line, and it will not look nice if I keep hanging on. The main thing is that there is no motivation left.”

• In 13 test matches, he has taken 35 wickets with a bowling average of 38.54 runs per wicket. His best bowling performance came against England in his debut international match in 2006. Overall, he has bowled 443 overs and conceded 1349 runs with an economy of 3.04.
  

  Munaf Patel with an autographed bat of some of the famous Indian cricketers

• He has also featured in 70 ODIs and took 86 wickets with a bowling average of 30.26 runs per wicket. Overall, he has bowled 525.4 overs and conceded 2603 runs with an economy of 4.95 in ODI cricket. His best bowling is 4 for 29, which came against South Africa. Besides this, he has played 3 T20 internationals and taken four wickets with an average and economy of 21.5 and 8.6 respectively.
  

  Munaf Patel with a friend