# Desert Vipers

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.
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.

## History

In 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 three different cities of the United Arab Emirates, and three general teams which were not tied exclusively to one city, were put up on auction in UAE in September 2022. The franchise was purchased by Manchester United FC CEO Avram Glazer. The team unveiled their name Desert Vipers, logo and jersey in January 2023, through their social media handles.

## Current squad

    As of 13 January 2024
* Players with international caps are listed in bold.
| Name | Nationality | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Year |
| Batsmen |||||||
| Adam Hose | England | (1992-10-25) 25 October 1992 (age 32) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2024 |
| Alex Hales | England | (1989-01-03) 3 January 1989 (age 36) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 2023 |
| Colin Munro | New Zealand | (1987-03-11) 11 March 1987 (age 37) | Left-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2023 |
| Michael Jones | Scotland | (1998-01-05) 5 January 1998 (age 27) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 |
| All-rounders |||||||
| Ali Naseer | United Arab Emirates | (2004-03-09) 9 March 2004 (age 21) | Left-handed | Left-arm medium-fast | 2024 |
| Bas de Leede | Netherlands | (1999-11-15) 15 November 1999 (age 25) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 2024 |
| Rohan Mustafa | United Arab Emirates | (1988-10-07) 7 October 1988 (age 36) | Left-handed | Right-arm off break | 2023 |
| Shadab Khan | Pakistan | (1998-10-04) 4 October 1998 (age 26) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | 2024 |
| Sherfane Rutherford | West Indies | (1998-08-15) 15 August 1998 (age 26) | Left-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2023 |
| Tom Curran | England | (1995-03-12) 12 March 1995 (age 29) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2023 |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | Sri Lanka | (1997-07-29) 29 July 1997 (age 27) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | 2023 |
| Wicket-keepers |||||||
| Azam Khan | Pakistan | (1998-08-10) 10 August 1998 (age 26) | Right-handed | | 2023 |
| Dinesh Chandimal | Sri Lanka | (1989-11-18) 18 November 1989 (age 35) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 |
| Pace bowlers |||||||
| Gus Atkinson | England | (1998-01-19) 19 January 1998 (age 27) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | 2024 |
| Luke Wood | England | (1995-08-02) 2 August 1995 (age 29) | Left-handed | Left-arm fast-medium | 2024 |
| Matheesha Pathirana | Sri Lanka | (2002-12-18) 18 December 2002 (age 22) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | 2024 |
| Shaheen Afridi | Pakistan | (2000-04-06) 6 April 2000 (age 24) | Left-handed | Left-arm fast | 2024 |
| Mohammad Amir | Pakistan | (1992-04-13) 13 April 1992 (age 32) | Left-handed | Left-arm fast | 2024 |
| Sheldon Cottrell | West Indies | (1989-08-19) 19 August 1989 (age 35) | Right-handed | Left-arm fast-medium | 2023 |

## Statistics
### Season summary

| Season | League standing | Final standing |
| 2023 | 2nd out of 6 | Runner Up |
| 2024 | 5th out of 6 | League Stage |
| 2025 | 1st out of 6 | Runner Up |
| Last Updated: 11 February 2025 |||

## Administration and support staff

| 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 |
* Source

## Sustainability

The 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.