Dubai, UAE (20 October 2023) – The Desert Vipers are pleased to add leg-spinner Karthik Meiyappan, famous for his hat-trick against Sri Lanka at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup last year, and former UAE Under-19 captain and left arm spinner Aryan Lakra to complete their UAE signings for season two of the DP World ILT20. The players were picked during an online draft held by the Emirates Cricket Board and the ILT20 on Friday morning. UAE All-rounders Ali Naseer and Rohan Mustafa have previously been retained by the Vipers from season one.

Desert Vipers CEO Phil Oliver welcomed the two new players into the side and said: “Karthik Meiyappan and Aryan Lakra are two outstanding additions to our roster, and I am delighted to welcome them onboard. I believe they are a perfect fit for the Desert Vipers and are two young players who are very much on the up.”

“Aryan offers us the left-arm option that we were previously lacking in the spin department and Karthik will join up with fellow leg-spinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Shadab Khan to ensure we are well catered for in that area.

“And both players will have the chance to work with our outstanding spin-bowling coach Carl Crowe who will play a big role in helping them take their games forward. It all adds up to an exciting time for us and an exciting time for the two young players we have drafted.

“While winning the tournament is our primary goal, equally important is our pledge to support the Emirates Cricket Board in its effort to raise the standard of cricket locally. In season one, we saw fans enjoying the experience of meeting and engaging with our top international stars, but equally we also witnessed the power of local UAE players in inspiring youngsters and fans locally.

“We have the utmost regard for UAE cricket and all its stakeholders, and we could not be prouder to add these two young players to our roster.”

The confirmed roster of Desert Vipers players for season two is as follows:

Colin Munro (NZ) (Captain)
Shaheen Shah Afridi (PAK)
Shadab Khan (PAK)
Azam Khan (PAK)
Wanindu Hasaranga (SL)
Alex Hales (ENG)
Tom Curran (ENG)
Sherfane Rutherford (WI)
Luke Wood (ENG)
Matheesha Pathirana (SL)
Sheldon Cottrell (WI)
Dinesh Chandimal (SL)
Gus Atkinson (ENG)
Bas de Leede (NED)
Michael Jones (SCO)
Adam Hose (ENG)
Rohan Mustafa (UAE)
Ali Naseer (UAE)
Karthik Meiyappan (UAE)
Aryan Lakra (UAE)

The two new additions are local heroes in the UAE, have been friends for many years and were teammates at the ICC Under-19 World Cup in South Africa in 2020.

Kartik Meiyappan’s bowling talents caught the attention of the cricketing world last year, when he became the first UAE player and only the fifth bowler in history to take a hat-trick at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia. Meiyappan achieved that milestone while dismissing Sri Lanka’s Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Charith Asalanka and captain Dasun Shanaka during a group game.

The Chennai-born bowler made his UAE debut in 2019 during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2, in a match against USA. Meiyappan has since featured in 31 ODIs and 14 T20 Internationals for UAE, with an impressive tally of 59 wickets. Earlier this year Meiyappan featured in six matches for the UAE in the ICC World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe and finished with an impressive economy rate of 6.66 in 30 overs bowled.

In the recently concluded ILT20 Development Tournament Meiyappan played for the Dynamos and took three wickets in two matches played and was second on the list of bowlers with the best economy rates, with 5.44.

Meiyappan is no stranger to the DP World ILT20 having represented the Sharjah Warriors in two games earlier this year.

The second addition to the Desert Vipers roster is left-arm spinner Aryan Lakra, who played a crucial role in helping the UAE team qualify for the ICC Under-19 World Cup in 2020. He was named captain of the UAE team for that tournament. Lakra finished as the top wicket-taker for the side with 12 wickets and was the fourth top run-scorer for the UAE contributing 112 runs across five innings.

Lakra went on to make his UAE senior debut last year and has featured in 16 ODIs and five T20Is. In the recently concluded ILT20 Development tournament, which served as a showcase for UAE talent ahead of the ILT20 draft, Lakra featured for losing finalists Blitzers, and finished with 10 wickets and 100 runs from seven matches with a highest score of 39. In the final Lakra made a significant contribution scoring 25 off 24 deliveries including a four and a six.

The second edition of the ILT20 is scheduled to start in the second week of January 2024.

The Desert Vipers finished as runners-up in the inaugural edition of the tournament in January and February 2023.