How Morne Morkel plotted IPL return at the age of 36 being an Australian

Former South African speedster Morne Morkel announced his retirement from international cricket in 2018. When not committed to his national duties, the cricketer also took the field for several Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises between the years 2009 and 2016. For his final stint in IPL, he represented the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) from 2014 till 2016.

Morne Morkel is now planning to make a return to the IPL, albeit this time as an Australian citizen. He recently registered his name for the IPL auction, which is scheduled to be organised on February 18.

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Morne Morkel citizenship and his plans for IPL 2021 contract

In December 2020, Morne Morkel received permanent residency of Australia. Cricket Australia publicly announced the same, stating that Morkel is intending to become a citizen of the country. The former South African cricketer is currently married to Roz Kelly, an Australian sports journalist.

Morkel played the subsequent 2020-21 Big Bash League (BBL) season between December 2020 and February 2021 for the Brisbane Heat. Even at the age of 36, the lanky speedster maintained his trademark zip en route to collecting five wickets across seven BBL games.

On February 5, Morne Morkel was confirmed to be one of the 1,097 registrations from across the world for the IPL 2021 auction. A week later, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shortlisted the number to 292 players. Morkel is one of those 292 players who will now go under the hammer in Chennai on February 18 as per the IPL auction 2021 new players list revealed by the Indian board.

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Morne Morkel retirement from international cricket

Morne Morkel's retirement from international cricket was announced by the cricketer himself in February 2018. He eventually played his last Test match against Australia in April at the Wanderers Stadium. In all, Morkel represented his nation at the international level in 86 Tests, 117 ODIs and 44 T20Is between the years 2006 and 2018.

How much is Morne Morkel net worth?

According to networthlist.org, Morne Morkel's net worth is US$5.6 million. This figure includes estimations of his salary as a South African national team member, and his earnings from his stint in English county cricket, the Dream11 IPL and other T20 leagues around the world. At the time of retirement, Morkel's monthly salary from South Africa cricket board was around US$5000. For his participation across all IPL seasons, his cumulative earnings amount to ₹16,31,65,700.

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Disclaimer: The above Morne Morkel net worth figure is sourced from various websites and media reports. This website does not guarantee 100% accuracy of the Morne Morkel net worth figure.

Image source: IPLT20.COM