International career

Colin Munro (born 11 March 1987) was a New Zealand cricketer born in South Africa. He played for the national team and was part of the squad that finished second in the 2019 Cricket World Cup. Munro also played in the 2006 Under-19 Cricket World Cup for New Zealand and represented Auckland in domestic cricket.

He was the youngest of four brothers and grew up in Tongaat, South Africa. He went to Maidstone Primary School before moving to New Zealand. In New Zealand, he studied at Pakuranga College and played for the school's 1st XI cricket team.

• 2012
  • Debuted in T20I for New Zealand on 21 December against South Africa.
• 2013
  • Played his only Test match on 11 January against South Africa as a replacement for James Franklin.
  • Debuted in ODI on 22 January against South Africa.
• 2016
  • Finished as the top scorer in New Zealand’s domestic T20 competition.
  • Selected for the national squad against Sri Lanka after strong performances in domestic cricket.
  • Scored the second-fastest T20I fifty in history (14 balls) in the second T20I against Sri Lanka.
• 2017
  • Scored his first T20I century on 6 January against Bangladesh.
  • Moved to the opening position in ODIs against India.
  • Scored his second T20I century on 4 November against India. He became the first batsman to score two T20I centuries in one year.
• 2018
  • Scored his third T20I century on 3 January against West Indies. He was the first player to reach this milestone.
  • Became the No.1 ranked T20I batsman in the world.
  • Received a national contract for the 2018–19 season.
• 2019
  • Had inconsistent form in ODIs but performed well in T20Is against India.
  • Named ANZ International Men's T20 Player of the Year in March.
  • Selected for the 2019 Cricket World Cup squad.
• 2020
  • Played his last T20I on 2 February against India.
• 2024
  • Announced retirement from international cricket. Finished with 57 ODIs, 65 T20Is, and one Test match.

Leagues Participation

Colin Munro has played in several T20 leagues worldwide. He has represented teams in the Indian Premier League, Caribbean Premier League, Pakistan Super League, Afghanistan Premier League, and Big Bash League. Munro has been known for his aggressive batting style and has contributed to multiple title-winning campaigns.

Indian Premier League

Munro played in the Indian Premier League for three teams: Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Delhi Capitals. He played 13 matches, scoring 177 runs with a strike rate of 125. Munro made his IPL debut in 2015 with Mumbai Indians but was released after one season. He later played for Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals before being released in 2020.

Year	Team	Notes
2015	Mumbai Indians	Replaced Josh Hazlewood, released after one season.
2016/2018	Kolkata Knight Riders	Bought in the auction, released due to low performance.
2018	Delhi Capitals	Bought for ₹1.9 crore, released in 2020.

Caribbean Premier League (CPL)

Munro played for Trinbago Knight Riders from 2016 to 2022 and for St Lucia Kings in 2023. In 2018, he scored 68 runs off 39 balls in the final, helping Trinbago defeat Guyana Amazon Warriors to win the title. That season, he became the first player in CPL history to score 500 runs in a single season.

In 2020, he signed with Auckland for the domestic season but remained with Trinbago for the CPL. That year, he and Kieron Pollard played key roles in Trinbago’s seventh consecutive title win, securing victory over Jamaica Tallawahs by 19 runs.

In 2023, Munro joined St Lucia Kings as a replacement for Faf du Plessis. With 73 CPL matches played, he had 2,178 runs at an average of 35.70 and a strike rate of 129.56.

Year	Team	Notes
2016–2022	Trinbago Knight Riders	Key player, first to score 500 runs in a CPL season (2018), won multiple titles.
2023	St Lucia Kings	Replaced Faf du Plessis, brought CPL experience.

Pakistan Super League (PSL)

Munro has played for Islamabad United since 2020. Before the 2020 PSL Draft, Karachi Kings released him. Islamabad United picked him in the Diamond Category.

In 2021, Islamabad United kept him for the 2022 season.

In February 2024, he scored 82 runs against Karachi Kings. Islamabad United won the match. He was named Player of the Match. On March 10, 2024, he and Captain Shadab Khan helped Islamabad United win against Multan Sultans and reach the PSL playoffs.

Year	Team	Notes
2020–present	Islamabad United	First pick in the 2020 Draft, key performances in 2024 season.

Afghanistan Premier League (APL)

In September 2018, Munro joined Balkh Legends for the first Afghanistan Premier League. He helped the team win the title.

In the final, Balkh Legends beat Kabul Zwanan by 4 wickets.

Year	Team	Notes
2018	Balkh Legends	Won the title in the first APL season.

Big Bash League (BBL)

Munro joined the Sydney Sixers in January 2017 for the Big Bash League. He made his debut at the SCG in front of 39,756 fans against the Thunder.

He was part of the Perth Scorchers for the 2021-22 season but missed some matches after testing positive for COVID-19 on January 9, 2022.

In the 2023-24 season, Munro was one of Brisbane Heat's top scorers. He scored 56 runs in 47 balls against the Hobart Hurricanes and 99 runs in 61 balls against the Melbourne Stars on December 7, 2023. This helped Brisbane Heat win by 214 runs.

Munro signed a multi-year contract with Brisbane Heat for the 2024-2025 season, and he will play in the BBL until 2026.

Year	Team	Notes
2016/17	Sydney Sixers	Debut season, played against Thunder.
2022/23–2023/24	Brisbane Heat	Top scorer in the 2023-24 season.
2024-2025	Brisbane Heat	Signed multi-year contract until 2026.

Domestic career

In 2012-13, Munro and Craig Cachopa scored 377 runs for the sixth wicket against the Wellington Firebirds in the Plunket Shield. They fell two runs short of the record for the highest sixth-wicket partnership. He scored 269 runs for the Auckland Aces, hitting 27 fours and 14 sixes. This was the second-highest score for the team, behind Bill Carson's record of 290 set in the 1936/37 season.

In January 2017, Munro joined the Sydney Sixers for the Big Bash League and played his first match in front of 39,756 spectators at the SCG against the Thunder. In March 2018, he decided to focus on white-ball cricket, skipping the rest of the 2017/18 and 2018/19 Plunket Shield seasons due to his form in T20 not translating to ODIs.

In September 2018, Munro joined Balkh's squad for the first Afghanistan Premier League. In June 2019, he played for the Brampton Wolves in the Global T20 Canada tournament. Munro was released by Delhi Capitals ahead of the 2020 IPL auction. He was also released by Karachi Kings before the 2020 PSL Draft. However, in December 2019, he was drafted by Islamabad United as the first pick in the Diamond Category.

In June 2020, Auckland gave Munro a contract for the 2020–21 season, and in July 2020, he joined the Trinbago Knight Riders squad for the 2020 Caribbean Premier League. He also joined Manchester Originals for The Hundred 2021. In December 2021, he was signed by Islamabad United for the 2022 Pakistan Super League season.

Munro played for Perth Scorchers in the 2021–22 Big Bash League season. However, on January 9, 2022, he tested positive for COVID-19. In April 2022, he was bought by the Trent Rockets for the 2022 season of The Hundred in England.

Other Leagues

In June 2019, Munro was selected to play for the Brampton Wolves in the 2019 Global T20 Canada tournament. He was signed by the Manchester Originals for The Hundred 2021 tournament. In April 2022, he joined the Trent Rockets for the 2022 season of The Hundred in England.

Records and achievements

Colin Munro has set many records throughout his career. Here are some of his key achievements:

• First player to score three hundreds in T20I: In January 2018, Munro scored 104 runs off 53 balls against the West Indies, becoming the first player to score three hundreds in T20I cricket.
• Second-fastest to score fifty in T20I: In October 2016, he scored 50 runs off 14 balls against Sri Lanka.
• Second-fastest to hit 100 sixes in T20I: Munro hit 107 sixes in 65 matches, scoring 1,724 runs with an average of 31.34.
• Fastest fifty by a New Zealand player in T20I: Munro broke Martin Guptill's record by scoring fifty in fewer balls and won the player of the match.
• Top scorer in the 2015-2016 Georgie Pie Super Smash: Munro scored 366 runs at an average of 175, earning a place in the New Zealand T20 team.
• Fastest 146 runs in a T20 match for New Zealand: Munro scored 146 runs off 14 balls against Sri Lanka, setting a record for the fastest score by a New Zealand player.
• 2016 ICC World T20: Munro helped New Zealand finish third in the tournament.
• 2019 Cricket World Cup Silver Medal: Munro was part of the New Zealand team that finished as runners-up in the 2019 Cricket World Cup in England and Wales.
• Second player to score 1,000 runs in the Caribbean Premier League: Munro reached 1,000 runs in 1,000 balls in the CPL, becoming the second player to do so.

Personal life

Colin Munro has three brothers. His brother, Brett Munro, is also involved in cricket. Colin grew up in a Christian family and moved to New Zealand when he was young.

Finance

As of 2024, Colin Munro’s net worth is around $18 million.

Scandals

In 2023, Munro was fined 10% of his match price for breaking the HBL Pakistan Super League Code of Conduct during a game against Peshawar Zalmi. He violated article 2.2 about handling cricket equipment or clothing.
In 2024, Munro was suspended from a Plunket Shield match for using inappropriate language. This was his third violation in three years. He was also fined $1,600 in February 2024 for using offensive gestures in a Big Bash League match.

Fans

As of January 2025, fans showed disappointment with his performance in the 2024-25 Big Bash League. Many believe his struggles are hurting the team and have asked for his removal. He has 190k followers on Instagram.