The Desert Vipers is a professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team that plays in the Emirati International League T20 (ILT20). It was one of the six teams that were announced for the inaugural season. It was founded in 2022, and currently owned by the Lancer Capital LLC.[1]
 | ||
| League | International League T20 | |
|---|---|---|
| Personnel | ||
| Captain | Colin Munro | |
| Coach | James Foster | |
| Owner | Lancer Capital LLC | |
| Team information | ||
| Colours | Red and Black | |
| Established | 2022 | |
| Home ground | Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah | |
| Capacity | 16,000 | |
| History | ||
| Twenty20 debut | v. Sharjah Warriors at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai; 15 January 2023 | |
| Official website | Desert Vipers | |
| ||
The team's chief executive officer is Phil Oliver; the cricket director is Tom Moody. The team is coached by James Foster and captained by Colin Munro. The Vipers were the runners-up of the first season of the tournament, and finished 5th in Season 2.[2][3][4]
History
editIn August 2022, the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) announced the establishment of the International League T20, to be started in 2023. The teams for the competition, representing 6 different cities of United Arab Emirates, including Desert, were put up on auction in UAE in September 2022. The Desert franchise was purchased was Manchester United FC CEO revealed that, led by Avram Glazer will be owning a team in the league. The team unveiled their logo and jersey in January 2023, through their social media handles.
Current squad
edit- Players with international caps are listed in bold.
| Name | Nationality | Date of birth (age) | Batting style | Bowling style | Year signed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batsmen | ||||||
| Adam Hose |  England |
25 October 1992 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2024 | |
| Alex Hales | England |
3 January 1989 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 2023 | |
| Colin Munro |  New Zealand |
11 March 1987 | Left-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2023 | |
| Michael Jones |  Scotland |
5 January 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | |
| All-rounders | ||||||
| Ali Naseer |  United Arab Emirates |
9 March 2004 | Left-handed | Left-arm medium-fast | 2024 | |
| Bas de Leede |  Netherlands |
15 November 1999 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 2024 | |
| Rohan Mustafa | United Arab Emirates |
7 October 1988 | Left-handed | Right-arm off break | 2023 | |
| Shadab Khan |  Pakistan |
4 October 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | 2024 | |
| Sherfane Rutherford |  West Indies |
15 August 1998 | Left-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2023 | |
| Tom Curran | England |
12 March 1995 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2023 | |
| Wanindu Hasaranga |  Sri Lanka |
29 July 1997 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | 2023 | |
| Wicket-keepers | ||||||
| Azam Khan | Pakistan |
10 August 1998 | Right-handed | 2023 | ||
| Dinesh Chandimal | Sri Lanka |
18 November 1989 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | |
| Pace bowlers | ||||||
| Gus Atkinson | England
|
19 January 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | 2024 | |
| Luke Wood | England |
2 August 1995 | Left-handed | Left-arm fast-medium | 2024 | |
| Matheesha Pathirana | Sri Lanka |
18 December 2002 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | 2024 | |
| Shaheen Afridi | Pakistan
|
6 April 2000 | Left-handed | Left-arm fast | 2024 | |
| Mohammad Amir | Pakistan
|
13 April 1992 | Left-handed | Left-arm fast | 2024 | [8] |
| Sheldon Cottrell | West Indies
|
19 August 1989 | Right-handed | Left-arm fast-medium | 2023 | |
Statistics
editSeason summary
edit| Season | League standing | Final standing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2nd out of 6 | Runner Up | ||||
| 2024 | 5th out of 6 | League Stage | ||||
| Last Updated: 11 February 2024 | ||||||
Administration and support staff
edit| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| CEO | Phil Oliver |
| Director of cricket | Tom Moody |
| Head coach | James Foster |
| Batting coach | Neil McKenzie |
| Fast bowling coach | Azhar Mahmood |
| Spin bowling coach | Carl Crowe |
| Fielding coach | Simon Helmot |
Sustainability
editThe Desert Vipers became the first cricket franchise in the world to make their full season carbon footprint public, when they published their Season 1 footprint of 573 tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2023. In Season 2, they hosted their first 'Sustainability Match', which aimed to celebrate their achievements to date and trial new sustainability initiatives. They are Dubai's first signatory to the United Nations Sports for Climate Action Framework, and they have committed to Net Zero by 2040.
Reference
edit- ^ "Desert Vipers Team". thedesertvipers. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
- ^ "Desert Vipers Team UAE ILT20 2024 Squad, Players list, Captain, Coach ,International League T20 (ILT20) 2024". india cricket schedule. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
- ^ "International League T20, 2023 Desert Vipers Squad, Owner, Captain". sportsunfold. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
- ^ "Retained by the Desert Vipers, Rohan Mustafa also hopes to retain his role as opener in season two of the DP World ILT20". thedesertvipers. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
- ^ "New Signess for DP World ILT20 Season 2". ilt20.ae. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
- ^ "retained by franchises for DP World ILT20 Season2". ilt20.ae. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
- ^ "2024 Squads". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
- ^ "Amir joins Desert Vipers for ILT20".
- ^ "DP World ILT20 Season 2 to be played between 19 January to 18 February 2024". ilt20.ae. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
- ^ "Gulf Giants, Sharjah Warriors to play ILT20 opener on January 19". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2023-11-02.