T20 World Cup 2024: Who is Monank Patel? - Everything you need to know about the USA captain

The United States of America team shocked the world with their win over Pakistan on Thursday, June 6. The co-hosts of the T20 World Cup 2024 defeated the 2009 T20 World Cup winners in the Super Over to register their second win of the campaign.

Monank Patel, the United States of America skipper, played a pivotal role with the bat, scoring a fifty to shepherd his team's chase. His knock of 50 runs came off 38 balls with the help of seven fours and one six.

Ever since Monank Patel became the captain of the USA team their fortunes started to change. The right-handed wicketkeeper led his side to a maiden series win against Bangladesh just before the T20 World Cup. This was the first time that the Men in Stars and Stripes were beating a full member team in a bilateral series. 

Who is Monank Patel, the inspirational USA skipper?

Born on May 1, 1993 in Gujarat, India, the story of Monank Patel started to take shape when he decided to shift to USA in 2010. He had already played the age group level cricket for the local sides in Gujarat.

Monank Patel got his first national team call-up for USA in 2018 but it took him an entire year to play his first match in international cricket. In his very first ODI match against PNG, Patel scored 39 and his T20 debut was against the UAE where he scored nine runs. 

It has been a great 2024 so far for Monank Patel as he has been one of the heaviest run scorers in the T20 format. Against a dangerous and potent Pakistani pace attack on Thursday, Monank Patel decided to stand up and take charge of the 160-run target. 

Also Read: Who is Saurabh Netravalkar? – Everything you need to know about USA's hero against Pakistan

Mohammad Amir and Shaheen Shah Afridi were safely negotiated and the introduction of Shadab Khan didn’t deter Patel as he kept mixing caution with aggression. That great start was what laid the foundation for an historic win for the USA side.

The biggest challenge for Monank Patel though is yet to come when he will lead his adopted side against his country of birth. The 31-year-old will be extra motivated to show the Indian team how he is determined to make USA the next big force in world cricket. One more win against the Indians will not only propel USA into the next round but also make them a force to be reckoned with in the years to come.