Joburg Super Kings have named Albie Morkel as head coach for the fifth season of SA20. He replaces Stephen Fleming, who left earlier this month after becoming England’s Test head coach and had led the side through all four earlier seasons.
Familiar face
Morkel has been on the franchise’s coaching staff since it was founded, and his connection to the Super Kings family also includes a playing career at Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. Rupa Gurunath said he has been an invaluable member of the coaching group who understands what the club stands for, has built strong relationships and has helped develop players. Kasi Viswanathan likewise pointed to his knowledge of the club’s culture and of South African cricket.
Morkel called it an incredible honour, saying the move from wearing the Super Kings shirt as a player to leading one of its teams as head coach was special. He said he wanted to build on the foundations already laid.
Playing and coaching record
For South Africa, Morkel played one Test, 58 ODIs and 50 T20Is between 2004 and 2015. In franchise cricket he played 319 T20 matches, scoring over 4,000 runs and taking nearly 250 wickets. More recently he was a consultant coach with South Africa at the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, where the Proteas reached the semi-finals. This is his first full-time head coach post at franchise level.
The challenge
Joburg Super Kings have yet to reach an SA20 final. They finished fourth last time before losing the Eliminator, and Morkel must now try to lift them further.
