The Desert Vipers have joined forces with Grenade, one of the world’s leading sports nutrition companies.The agreement will see the Vipers, a side that plays in the UAE’s own Twenty20 cricket league, the DP World ILT20, receiving Grenade protein bars and shakes to help boost athletic performance during the tournament.And with the partnership, Grenade has become the Official Sports Nutrition Partner of the franchise.Commenting on the agreement, Desert Vipers Chief Executive Officer Phil Oliver said: “Grenade is the world leader in athlete nutrition, and we are delighted to welcome them to the Desert Vipers family.“This agreement represents a terrific partnership because the peak athletic performance of our cricketers is critical to our success on the pitch and for their recovery off it.“Use of Grenade products will undoubtedly assist in this area, and we look forward to working with them this season and to build the relationship with Grenade into a bigger partnership for future seasons of the DP World ILT20.”Toufic Safi, General Manager MEA at Grenade also welcomed the partnership:“We take pride in our award-winning Informed – Sport product range and are honoured to partner with the relentless Desert Vipers.”Founded in 2010 by Alan and Juliet Barratt, Grenade’s mission was simple: to create an iconic weight-loss product and become THE brand within sports nutrition. Grenade’s first product was so effective, that a friend described it as explosive, “like a grenade.” This product became a Thermo Detonator, and the brand name Grenade was born.Today, Grenade is available in over 80 countries with a multi-award-winning product range, including the best-selling protein bars and cutting-edge sports nutrition.Further details of Grenade, the company and its products, can be foundhere.

A late fightback in the batting department went in vain asDesert Viperssuccumbed to a 30-run defeat againstMI Emiratesin their eighth match ofInternational League T20(ILT20)2024at theSheikh Zayed Stadiumin Abu Dhabi on Sunday, February 4.

The Vipers rode onMohammad Amir’s impressive bowling spell (2/29) to restrict MI Emirates to 188/5 in their 20 overs. Later, the Vipers’ batters fought hard till the very end but fell short by a few runs.

Earlier, the Vipers’ captainColin Munrowon the toss and opted to field first.

Left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir provided the Vipers with an early breakthrough as he cleaned up MI Emirates opener Muhammad Waseem (7) in the third over.

Andre Fletcher and Kusal Perera later added 30 runs before the Vipers’ debutantNathan Sowterremoved Fletcher (11) to pick up his first ILT20 wicket.

Ambati Rayudu joined Perera at the crease for MI Emirates. The duo forged a 75-run stand for the third wicket.

In the 16th over, star leg-spinnerWanindu Hasarangabagged the huge wicket of Perera (65) to reduce MI Emirates to 127/3.

Rayudu and Nicholas Pooran then stitched a 36-run partnership before Amir trapped the Indian batter in front of the stumps.

In the final few overs, Pooran hit a few boundaries beforeMatheesha Pathiranadismissed him for 39 as MI Emirates posted 188/5 in their allotted overs.

Chasing 189, the Vipers got off to a challenging start asRohan Mustafa,Alex Hales,Adam Hoseand Munro departed in the first four overs.

Batting at number six,Azam Khanslammed Trent Boult for three boundaries in the fifth over.

However, Azam’s 10-ball 19 came to an end as he fell to Fazalhaq Farooqi.

The Vipers then lost their sixth wicket as Hasaranga was dismissed by Waqar Salamkheil shortly after.

In desperate need of a partnership, the Vipers drafted inSherfane Rutherfordas a super-sub in place of Nathan Sowter.

Rutherford andAli Naseerplayed some scintillating shots to keep the Vipers in the game.

In the 12th over, the pair’s 37-run partnership ended as Rutherford departed for 18.

Luke Wood joined Ali Naseer at the crease. The duo established a crucial partnership to keep the Vipers’ hopes alive.

Meanwhile, 19-year-old Ali Naseer played a fantastic knock as he notched up his maiden T20 fifty.

Despite Naseer and Wood’s incredible 73-run partnership, the Vipers fell short by 30 runs.

With six points from eight matches, the Vipers are still placed third in the ILT20 2024 standings.

The Vipers will aim to return to winning ways when they face Dubai Capitals at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday, February 9.

Brief Scores

MI Emirates188/5 in 20 overs (Kusal Perera 65, Ambati Rayudu 44, Mohammad Amir 2/29) beatDesert Vipers158/8 in 20 overs (Ali Naseer 63*, Luke Wood 30, Fazalhaq Farooqi 4/31) by 30 runs

Twin fifties fromAzam KhanandColin Munroalong with an impressive bowling performance helpedDesert Vipersbeat defending championsGulf Giantsby six wickets in their seventh match of theILT20 2024at theDubai International Cricket Stadiumon Saturday, February 3.

The Vipers rode on scintillating fifties from Munro (51) and Azam (50*) to chase down 161 with 19 balls to spare. Previously,Mohammad Amirbagged three wickets whileWanindu HasarangaandMatheesha Pathiranapicked two wickets each to restrict the Giants to 160/7 in their 20 overs.

Earlier on Saturday, Desert Vipers wore green jerseys as part of the franchise’s ‘Go Green’ campaign in the special ‘Sustainability’ match showcasing the Vipers’ commitment to a sustainable future and helping the team raise awareness about adopting eco-friendly habits.

The Vipers’ captain Colin Munro won the toss and opted to field first.

Star pacer Mohammad Amir got the Vipers off to a brilliant start as he dismissed opposition captain James Vince in the very first over of the game.

Chris Lynn joined wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith at the crease for the Giants. The pair stitched a 41-run stand before Matheesha Pathirana removed Smith for 15.

In the eighth over, leg-spinnerWanindu Hasarangajoined the party as he got the massive wicket of Lynn (31) to reduce the Giants to 46/3.

Having restricted the run-scoring in the next few overs, Hasaranga inflicted more misery as he got rid of Usman Khan (10) in the 12th over.

At the other end, Jordan Cox played a few shots before he fell to Amir for an 18-ball 26.

Struggling at 91/5, Gerhard Erasmus and Shimron Hetmyer added 23 runs for the sixth wicket before Pathirana cleaned up Erasmus for 18.

In the final few overs, Hetmyer’s late cameo of an unbeaten 40 off 23 balls powered the Giants to 160/7 in their allotted overs.

For the Vipers, Mohammad Amir was the wrecker-in-chief as he picked three wickets for 34 runs.

Chasing 161,Rohan MustafaandAlex Halesforged a decent 23-run opening stand before Mustafa fell to Carlos Brathwaite in the fourth over.

Following Mustafa’s dismissal, Hales and skipper Munro produced some counter-attacking cricket to put the pressure back on the bowlers.

Meanwhile, Hales played some exquisite shots before he departed for a well-made 44 in the 11th over. His blitzkrieg knock included four fours and two maximums.

In the same over, the Vipers then lost Hasaranga (1) to Zuhaib Zubair.

With the score reading 79/3, Azam Khan walked out to bat and clobbered Zubair straight down the ground for a six.

He continued his attacking approach as the Vipers brought up their hundred in the 14th over.

In the next over, Azam later hammered Brathwaite for back-to-back sixes and followed it up with two boundaries to accumulate 22 runs in the over.

Meanwhile, Munro smashed Zubair for two sixes and as many fours to notch up his well-deserved fifty in the 16th over.

Azam then slammed Zubair for another boundary in the same over to record the fastest fifty in the ILT20 history. He scored his half-century off just 18 balls.

While Munro later departed for a 36-ball 51, Azam guided the Vipers to a comprehensive win in Dubai.

With the morale-boosting win, the Vipers jumped to third in the ILT20 2024 standings with six points from seven matches.

Last season’s finalists will look to continue their winning momentum when they square off against MI Emirates at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, February 4.

Brief Scores

Gulf Giants160/7 in 20 overs (Shimron Hetmyer 40*, Chris Lynn 31, Mohammad Amir 3/34) lost toDesert Vipers161/4 in 16.5 overs (Colin Munro 51, Azam Khan 50*, Zuhaib Zubair 2/49) by six wickets

The Desert Vipers fell to a 30-run defeat at the hands of table-toppers MI Emirates in Abu Dhabi. But that margin could have been a lot steeper and caused a lot more damage in the net run-rate department had it not been for the fantastic 73-run, eighth-wicket partnership between UAE all-rounder Ali Naseer and left-arm fast bowler Luke Wood.Ali Naseer remained unbeaten on 63 scored off 47 deliveries which was a truly impressive knock scored under immense pressure against the top side in the league, while Wood contributed with an important 30.Also making an impression on debut was leg-spinner Nathan Sowter, who picked up a wicket in his first over.Both Ali and Nathan featured on the latest edition of the Vipers Voices podcast. Ali said he was pleased to have scored runs for the team, but disappointed about the result. Nathan Sowter said that after this defeat, the short upcoming break from action could be just what the team needed to reset and refresh themselves ahead of the final two group games next weekend.Quotes from that interview and from Ali Naseer are included below.Match Scores:

Toss:Desert Vipers won the toss and elected to field first

MI Emirates: 188/5 (20 overs)

Top scorer:Kusal Perera 65 (46)

Desert Vipers: 158/8 (20 overs)

Top Scorer:Ali Naseer 63* (47)

Match Result:MI Emirates won by 30 runs

Player of the Match: Nicholas Pooran 39 (15) & four catchesHere are some quotes from the post-match interview with Desert Vipers’ top scorer Ali Naseer:“When I went to bat, coach James Foster told me to take it as deep as possible and try and build partnerships, and that is what I did. I was happy that I scored some runs, but I was sad to not have (helped with) a win for the team today. Next time if I can help the team win as well, then I will be a lot happier.“MI Emirates has a pretty strong bowling attack, so I was pleased to be able to score some runs against them. I am hoping to take this confidence in the future into my games for the UAE and in the ILT20.“I am lucky to have been involved in the last four games for the Desert Vipers and I am thankful to the management for their trust in me and I am hoping to perform even better for the Desert Vipers.“It is massive to be able to share the dressing room with the likes of Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Afridi, Alex Hales and Colin Munro.“You learn a lot from them about your own game, whether it is fielding, batting or bowling. I think this experience (of playing with international players) has helped not just myself but all the UAE players who are a part of this tournament, to become better players.”Here are some quotes from the Vipers Voices post-match podcast featuring leg-spinner Nathan Sowter, who made his debut for the team:“It was exciting to get my cap from Wanindu Hasaranga today. It has been awesome to work with the other spinners in the squad (like Shadab Khan and Karthik Meiyappan), and there is so much information we can share from each other and hopefully, we might see some of that later in the tournament if Karthik gets an opportunity.“We have been learning a lot from Carl Crowe (the spin bowling coach) as well, with chats around what we see from Hasaranga and Shadab and how we go about our business.“I got hit for a four on the ball before (I got my first wicket for the team) so I thought I would bowl a little bit tighter, and he (Andre Fletcher) chunked it off the inside half of the bat and it was a good catch by Luke Wood. It was nice to make an impact early and it settled me down quite quickly.“Sometimes you have to take your hat off to players like that (Nicholas Pooran) and say well played. I think we have had that a couple of times in this tournament where we have been at the wrong end of some very good batting. But we still want to get better, and we still need to get smarter with what we do, because we have got very good players in our team as well.“They (Ali Naseer and Luke Wood) both played really well and gave us a chance as we go in to these last two games, where our net run rate is still not smashed out of the ground.“Ali played unbelievably. Hats off to him as a young player (to play that knock) and score sixty odd runs in a pressure situation against a great team. That showed our fighting spirit and hopefully, we can take that into the last two games.“I think the team needs a bit of a break, we need a reset and a couple of training days, just to get the confidence back up. We are not far away but we are not close either and we really need to have a crack at these last two games. If we have that spirit that the boys showed at the end, then we can really make a mark in the tournament.“I think we have to win both our remaining group games if we want to be serious contenders in this tournament. We have to win both games and let the rest of the table work itself out. We just have to look at every game as a knockout game now.”The Desert Vipers are back in action on Friday, February 9, when they take on the Dubai Capitals at the Dubai International Stadium.Tickets for all Desert Vipers matches are now on sale and can be purchased via the official DP World ILT20 website or at any Virgin Megastore across the UAE.