Dubai, UAE–27th January 2025– The Desert Vipers, a DP World ILT20 cricket team, are proud to announce their partnership with JA The Resort, the jewel in the crown in the JA Resort & Hotels portfolio—a collaboration that highlights their shared commitment to sustainability, environmental conservation and community engagement.

As part of this agreement, JA The Resort becomes a partner to the Desert Vipers for the third season of DP World ILT20 and beyond. This collaboration is a natural fit, given JA The Resort’s holistic approach to sustainability. The renowned JA The Resort has led the way in implementing sustainable practices, reducing its carbon footprint, and actively engaging its employees, guests, and the local community in these efforts.

This partnership introduces new sustainability initiatives, including the JA The Resort’s and Jebel Ali School “BioBlitz” event. Held on the JA The Resort, the event brought together 39 families, students, community members, Desert Vipers players and environmentalists to explore and document the area’s biodiversity. The event successfully identified 100 species and made 304 wildlife observations, fostering a greater understanding of local ecosystems and promoting conservation. Such events reflect the shared vision of both JA The Resort and Desert Vipers to make a meaningful environmental impact while inspiring future generations to take action for nature and biodiversity.

A key element of this partnership is the Desert Vipers’ commitment to the Sports for Nature Framework. This initiative, launched by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), International Olympic Committee (IOC), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy, aims to deliver transformative action for nature in sports by 2030 and beyond. As the first professional cricket team to sign this groundbreaking initiative, the Desert Vipers are setting a global benchmark for environmental stewardship within the sports community.“Desert Vipers launched their franchise putting sustainability at the core of their brand values, operations, and partnerships. They are also our first cricket organization and first sports team from the Middle East to join the Framework. I know the Desert Vipers will be a great addition to our Sports for Nature signatory community, and hopefully will serve as an ambassador to the cricket community to educate and inspire action for nature.” Meredith McCurdy, Programme Leader, Sports for Nature. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

This commitment resonates deeply with player Wanindu Hasaranga, the Desert Vipers’ star all-rounder. An avid wildlife photographer, Hasaranga shares the team’s passion for nature and conservation. Ahead of achieving his milestone of 300 T20 wickets in Desert Vipers’ crushing defeat of Sharjah Warriors in last week’s DP World ILT20 fixture, Hasaranga showcased his photography of leopards in his home country, Sri Lanka, to students from Jebel Ali School ahead of the results of the BioBlitz being unveiled. It came as no surprise to those present that the impressive student sustainability leaders emerged victorious in the final analysis.

All turf sport has an intimate connection to nature and the outdoors, meaning that environmental stewardship will form an important strand of the Desert Vipers’ future sustainability strategy. Grass is key for carbon sequestration, supports biodiversity, provides natural habitats and creates cleaner air. In turn, physical exercise is part and parcel of human health and wellness. In this way, the Desert Vipers believe that sport is dependent upon and connected to nature and recognize its importance in safeguarding the future of cricket.

Stuart Gibb, Group General Manager, JA Sports at JA Resorts & Hotels, said: “Partnering with the Desert Vipers cricket team marks a further continuation and growth of our relationship, and we look forward to supporting the team’s journey. Sustainable practices are woven into the fabric of our operations here at JA The Resort, where we enjoy expansive green spaces right at the foot of the development of the new Jebel Ali Palm. Telling our story through the lens of Desert Vipers’ day-to-day experience of using The Resort as their team base will both demonstrate our leadership in sustainability in hospitality to cricket fans all over the world and highlight JA The Resort as Dubai’s premier destination for sports teams. “

Matt Bailey, Head of Strategy, Desert Vipers, said, “Today I feel prouder than ever to be a Viper as we enter a long-term agreement with JA The Resort. This has been our home since the beginning of our DP World ILT20 journey in early 2023, and our players and staff are so happy here. Our ambitions in sustainability are well documented, and I think that nature and biodiversity is a critical but often-underserved space in many sustainability strategies. The BioBlitz event that we held at the resort this week with the amazing students from Jebel Ali School, in conjunction with Nature Wave shows me how powerful a connection with nature can be. Our all-rounder superstar and keen amateur photographer, Wanindu Hasaranga, showcasing his work was an incredible experience for the children.”

This partnership demonstrates the Desert Vipers’ core value of sustainability in its brand and business. By aligning with JA The Resort and supporting the Sports for Nature Framework, the team continues to set a global standard for sustainability leadership in sport.

Sports for NatureSports for Nature is a joint initiative of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), International Olympic Committee (IOC), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy. It aims to deliver transformative action for nature across sports, by 2030 and beyond, enabling sports to champion nature and contribute to its protection and restoration. It provides a game plan for sports — at all levels — to accelerate and inspire others to take action for nature.

Dubai, UAE (January 24, 2025) – Desert Vipers Head Coach James Foster has congratulated Sri Lanka all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga and West Indies middle-order batter Sherfane Rutherford for their inclusion in the ICC One-Day International (ODI) Team of the year.

“It really does fill me with a huge amount of pride that these two wonderful players who are a part of our franchise here and have been an integral part over the last two-and-a-half seasons (have been included in the ICC ODI team of the year),” said Foster.

“It is great to see because we know they are world-class players, but they are also world-class individuals. And for me, and as a franchise, it is not necessarily just what they do on the field, it is also off the field.

“I know their numbers have been incredible in 2024, hence the reason they have been named in the Team of the Year. But it is also their presence around the group and passing on their knowledge with their humour as well. Chuck that into a pot and it has been great to see.”

Both Sherfane and Wanindu have been part of the Vipers set-up since the inaugural season of the DP World ILT20.

Speaking about Sherfane Rutherford, James Foster said he was in awe of the player’s efforts.

“It is often some of the toughest times to bat (in the middle order),” he said. “You are having to adapt to what has happened in front of you already. Sometimes you have got to play the situation where you are going to have to be very smart and maybe the team are not at a score that you are hoping for, or the score is going well and you have to press the accelerator really quickly to continue that.

“He has been phenomenal for us since the DP World ILT20 got going. The thing you sometimes do not realise about ‘Rudds’ is his attention to detail, the amount of cricket that he watches and his leadership as well around the group and the knowledge he is passing on.

He speaks really well and whenever he speaks, people listen.

“So, I am absolutely delighted for Sherfane to get into that format (ODIs) and make such a big impact. Some of the innings he has played for us, and also the West Indies in that slightly longer format, have been so destructive.

“I remember a match, I know it wasn’t in the 50-over format, but in the T20 World Cup. I was a part (of the coaching staff) of the New Zealand side that played against West Indies. The sides were playing on a really difficult pitch in Trinidad and Tobago and the West Indies were in a real pickle.

“New Zealand bowled first and ‘Rudds’ went in at five or six and he was player of the match. He played one of the best innings I have seen because the pitch was so difficult. He was incredibly smart, but then also brutal in the same breath.”

Speaking of Sri Lanka all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga, James Foster said he was a central to the Desert Vipers success and it was no surprise he was included in the ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year.

“We are so lucky to have him with us at the Vipers and, as with everyone who plays for the Vipers, we obviously follow his career,” said Foster.

“The impressive piece is his consistency year after year, bringing in the sort of numbers and performances he produces that can actually go unrecognised in a way, because you think, ‘Ah, this is ‘Wani’, he does this thing, he is the best.’

“To still have the hunger and the desire to put in those types of performances that have earned him selection is super impressive. And he has such an important role for our side (in the batting department) as well.

“We have used him a lot over the last couple of years higher up the (batting) order because we feel he has got such a good game. And the beauty about ‘Wani’ is he can go up the top of the order, but he is also a very effective player lower down (the order). So, he really is the ultimate all-rounder.

“And let us not forget about his fielding. Those sort of things are not probably equated sometimes in the (ICC ODI) Team of the Year, but like we see first-hand, year after year here, the impact he has, the amount of run-outs he gets with direct hits or some incredible catching. And that sort of his ability and his skill in the field really lifts us as a side.”

Speaking about the Desert Vipers’ performances in season three of the DP World ILT20 so far, Foster said the team was aspiring for excellence and the success the team has enjoyed so far was a collective effort both on and off the field.

“We have got a really good group. Our squad of players are obviously very talented, super talented, but they are also a team of individuals who give to the team. And that is the ideal scenario when coaching a group of players in a franchise team that is together for around about a month.

“But with this franchise, it is not just about the players and the coaching staff. It is about the bigger picture and everything that the franchise do.

“People can say, ‘Oh, you are sitting here with a microphone and you are talking about a franchise that you work for so you are bound to say some positive things.’ But it really is a brilliant franchise. They (the management) are so detailed. They are really thoughtful. It is a really slick operation.”

Tickets for all Desert Vipers matches are now availablehere.

Desert Vipers’ sustainable line of clothing from PALMFIT is now available via our online shop:https://shop.thedesertvipers.com

Dubai, UAE (January 24, 2025) – Owner of UAE-based sports clothing manufacturer PALMFIT Hanish Bhatt says the thrill of watching Desert Vipers’ international stars wearing the company’s sustainable line of sports kit on the pitch in the DP World ILT20 is unmatched.

PALMFIT, who are the official kit manufacturers for Desert Vipers, are in the first season of a three-year partnership that sees PALMFIT manufacture match kit, training kit and leisure wear for the players and staff.

This partnership is especially significant as PALMFIT have launched a bespoke Vipers line, manufactured using sustainable methods, and recycled materials, in keeping with the Desert Vipers’ sustainability goals and the effort to reduce the team’s carbon footprint.

Speaking to the Vipers Voices podcast, Hanish Bhatt said he and his family were huge sports fans and the partnership with the Desert Vipers cricket team in the DP World ILT20 was like having a dream come true: “I am Indian by nationality so, growing up, cricket was obviously a big thing in our community and our family.

“Growing up we played cricket, but obviously never to the standard that we are seeing today or even close to that, but cricket has always been a big thing for me and then to see premium athletes or cricketers wearing PALMFIT – that is like a dream.

“We started as a kind of a side project between me and my wife and to have international premier cricket players wearing our stuff, playing in our stuff, advocating our stuff is monumental. And for the first game my parents were here, and to be able to show my parents PALMFIT on the screen around the boundary and to see my dad who is a massive cricket fan take pride in what we are doing it just made it all worth it.

“The team are doing really well at the minute, obviously we are on a bit of a run, and hopefully we will keep that going until the final and take the trophy.”

This is PALMFIT’s first experience of manufacturing high performance kit for an elite sporting team, and Hanish Bhatt said the major challenge was to ensure that the players’ performance was not compromised in any way, especially since PALMFIT uses recycled materials to produce the kit.

So far, he said, the response to the kit from the players had been a big thumbs up.

“When we got into this world (of sports clothing manufacture for the Desert Vipers) we had a really clear vision with the Vipers that they wanted something that was sustainable, recyclable, and also something that reduced emissions.

“Yes, there are (other) big (sports clothing) players in the market, but do they have a sole focus of that kind type of vision? I do not think so. What we could offer the Vipers was that type of vision that they wanted, and we could deliver that vision to them.

“One of the key attributes that we looked at with regards to these kits was whether the sustainable kits would affect performance or efficiency.

“Players will notice a difference, but so far, we have not seen that, in fact if anything we have seen the team are obviously doing really well at the minute and we just have not seen those issues.

“From a (PALMFIT) brand perspective, that concern that certain (prospective) partners may have has been alleviated, and we can use the Vipers as a pillar in the market, and say that we have done this and you can see the results on the pitch.”

The Desert Vipers’ next match of the 2025 DP World ILT20 is on Saturday, January 25th against the Sharjah Warriorz at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium starting at 2 pm.

Tickets for all Desert Vipers matches are now availablehere

The full conversation with Hanish Bhatt can be heard on the latest Vipers Voices podcast, available via all major podcast platforms. It can also be heard and downloaded here:

https://www.thedesertvipers.com/podcast/behind-the-scenes-with-vipers-kit-manufacturer-palmfit