The Desert Vipers have made it two wins from two matches at the start of Season 4 of the DP World ILT20, this time beating the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders by two wickets with three balls in hand at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
In this episode we hear from Dan Lawrence, who made 35 from 32 balls and also took the key wicket of ex-Vipers batter Sherfane Rutherford.
The Vipers restricted a powerful ADKR batting line-up top 171 for six before chasing down the target, thanks not only to Dan but also player of the match Shimron Hetmyer, who made 48 from 25 balls, and a superb cameo from Khuzaima Bin Tanveer, who belted an unbeaten 31 from 12 balls to see the side to victory after 19 were needed from the final two overs.
The Desert Vipers are pleased to announce Ellington Properties, one of Dubai’s leading design-led real estate developers, as their back-of-shirt sponsor for a period of one year.
The award-winning Ellington Properties was founded in 2014 in Dubai, and this partnership underlines the Desert Vipers’ commitment to engage with local businesses in the UAE.
Under this agreement, players will feature the Ellington Properties logo on the back of their matchday and training shirts.
The commercial partnership between the Desert Vipers and Ellington Properties represents the coming together of two exciting domains, that of real estate and sport.
Desert Vipers and Ellington Properties are active in the local community, providing top-quality expertise in their respective areas of operation.
The Desert Vipers’ Schools Programme reached over 10,000 students over the past year, and their recently launched Talent Pathway Programme was created to identify and develop local talent with a focus on high-performance.
Winner of multiple awards across its residential portfolio, Ellington Properties has shaped Dubai’s living experience since 2014 through design-led development anchored in quality, detail, and architectural integrity. From high-rise residences to thoughtfully planned communities, Ellington continues to create spaces that reflect how people want to live today, with greater intention, comfort, and long-term value.
The partnership with the Desert Vipers reflects Ellington’s belief in backing platforms that inspire ambition, discipline, and community pride. By supporting one of the UAE’s most dynamic sporting franchises, Ellington contributes to the continued growth of cricket locally, while helping create broader engagement opportunities for fans and future talent.
This collaboration brings together two brands committed to performance, progress, and community impact, united by a shared drive to elevate experiences in the UAE, on and off the field.
The Desert Vipers CEO Phil Oliver welcomed the new partner and said: “We are thrilled to have Ellington Properties as our back-of-shirt sponsor,” he said. “As a sports team located in the UAE, we aim to work with local businesses that align with our values and commitment to excellence. Ellington Properties is an ideal partner.
“They are a leading real estate developer in the UAE, and we look forward to the many opportunities this partnership will bring as we continue to establish ourselves here.”
Joseph Thomas, Co-Founder of Ellington Properties, said: “Great design and great sport have something important in common – both are built on discipline, detail, and the belief that consistency creates excellence. Our partnership with the Desert Vipers reflects our commitment to supporting initiatives that energise communities and inspire the next generation. As a UAE-grown company, we are proud to stand behind a team that represents ambition, high performance, and local momentum.”
The Desert Vipers are pleased to announce that the franchise has agreed to a major commercial partnership with the Yolo247 Games, a leading online gaming platform that innovates across the digital gaming industry.
The agreement will see the team, which is playing in the DP World ILT20 tournament in the UAE, have Yolo247 Games branding on the front of the playing and training shirts.
The one-year agreement covers the ongoing edition of the DP World ILT20, which began on December 2.
Desert Vipers Chief Executive Officer Phil Oliver said: “We are delighted to welcome Yolo247 Games to the Desert Vipers family for Season 4 of the DP World ILT20.
“This brand is instantly recognisable across the realm of online gaming, and Yolo247 Games is constantly pioneering in the space of gaming to bring the best product to its customers.
“It is this commitment to quality and innovation that brings Yolo247 Games and the Desert Vipers together.
“We take their decision to partner with us as a sign of confidence in what we have built at the Desert Vipers – a strong, well-run franchise on and off the pitch.
“Our partnership is also an illustration of the strength of the tournament, which, as well as attracting top players and coaching staff from all over the world, can also attract high-profile brands like the Yolo247 Games.
“We look forward to working with them and, after finishing as runners-up in the first and third editions of the tournament, going one step further in Season 4 by lifting the trophy in January.”
Vinod D’Souza, CMO of Yolo247 Games, commented:
“We are thrilled to partner with the Desert Vipers for the upcoming DP World ILT20. The Vipers have a fantastic reputation, with a roster of very talented players competing in a tournament that is rapidly gaining momentum. Collaborating with them is a natural fit for us.
“Their dedication to engaging with the local community and nurturing new cricket talent demonstrates their resolve to establish a strong presence in the UAE, which aligns perfectly with our brand.
“Having reached the finals in two of the three tournaments so far, the Vipers have proven themselves as an elite team, and we are excited to see if they can take the top spot this time.”
The DP World ILT20 brings together cricketing talent from all over the world, providing a showcase for UAE players and players from Associate countries, in particular.
This year, the addition of players from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia has given a new dimension to this tournament, adding greater value to cricket in the region.
The Desert Vipers opened Season 4 with a four-wicket win against The Dubai Capitals, a team they remained winless against through Season 3, including a closely fought final.
Set a target of 151 to win, the Vipers chased it down with an over to spare.
Having won the toss, Desert Vipers captain Sam Curran – standing in for Lockie Ferguson, who is on the verge of a comeback from a hamstring injury – chose for the team to field first.
Noor Ahmad, Khuzaima Bin Tanveer and David Payne took two wickets apiece while Naseem Shah and Sam Curran completed the tally with one wicket each. Noor Ahmad was the most economical of the quintet, on his Vipers debut, proving once again why he is considered one of the world’s best bowlers in this format.
The chase was dominated by Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman and USA wicket-keeper batter Andries Gous who led the charge. Zaman finished with 26 off 15 deliveries, while Gous earned himself Player of the Match with a well struck 58 off just 36 deliveries.
The side endured a brief wobble from 108 for two to 133 for six before Dan Lawrence (19 not out) and Khuzaima bin Tanveer (12 not out) saw the side home with six balls in hand.
Match Scores:
Toss: Desert Vipers
Dubai Capitals: 150/8
Top scorer: Rovman Powell 39(22 deliveries)
Desert Vipers: 151/6 (19 overs)
Top scorer: Andries Gous 58(36 deliveries)
Match Result: Desert Vipers won by 4 wickets
Player of the Match: Andries Gous
Here are some quotes from the Vipers Voices post-match vodcast and podcast featuring USA wicketkeeper batter Andries Gous
On playing a winning knock for the team:
“It is good (to do well) when you come into a new team, because you are eager to start well, and I have done that now. It is a nice feeling to get going from the start, so yes I am pretty happy about that.
“I knew I was watching the ball well and I was getting myself into good positions. And then I just told myself, just react to whatever was coming my way, and thankfully it worked out today.”
On how difficult or easy it was to keep to Afghanistan spin bowler Noor Ahmad:
“Noor is just world-class. I have never quite known which way it is spinning when I am batting against him. It is just tough. I am just happy he is on our team.
“But he is truly world-class and it is an unbelievable challenge for me keeping for him.
“I think it will just make my keeping better. But, yes, it is nice keeping to these world-class players and experiencing the different approach of these bowlers. It has been an honour.”
On whether coming into this tournament right after playing the T10 in Abu Dhabi was helpful:
“Yes I think it gave me some confidence. I finished quite well in the last four games of the T10. It almost feels like you have so much time now.
“The T10 was just very quick and you have just got to go from ball one. This just felt like I could take my time, I could just watch the ball and react, and then whatever happened, I could adjust from it. So, it has been pretty cool so far.”
On the team’s chances of doing well against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in Sharjah on Friday:
“I think the sky is the limit for this team. We have got unbelievable batting depth, and then we showed tonight that our bowling is just world-class.
“I think the staff and the management have recruited beautifully and we have got a really good side. As long as we stick to our skills and execute our skills, I think we are going to be hard to beat.”
The Desert Vipers next play the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday, December 5th, starting at 6:30 pm.
Tickets for all Desert Vipers matches are now available here.
Desert Vipers Head Coach James Foster has said that “keeping things really simple” will be the best recipe for success in this season’s DP World ILT20.
The Vipers go into the opening match of the tournament on Tuesday the 2nd of December, against the Dubai Capitals in a repeat of last season’s final, having played in the ultimate match twice without being able to secure the silverware.
But, rather than thinking about that too much, Foster told the Vipers Voices podcast that focusing on what was in front of the squad, instead of thinking too far ahead, was the mindset he wanted from his players.
“It is just (about) keeping things really simple,” he said. “Yes, we have got the goal to win the tournament, just the same as every other team, but (for us) it is just keeping things really simple.
“I know players will say it is about one game at a time, but it really is breaking it down as much as that, seeing where we are at, and just putting in our best performances or giving ourselves the best chance to be putting in our best performances every single time that we go out in the field.”
The eve-of-match practice session at the ICC Academy at Dubai Sports City was the first time all the squad had been together, with Khuzaima bin Tanveer, Qais Ahmad and Andries Gous all involved in the latter stages of the T10 tournament in Abu Dhabi, while Tom Bruce was a late arrival after domestic commitments in New Zealand.
That late coming together of the players could be seen as a disadvantage, but Foster preferred to look at it through a lens of positivity and played down any possibility of the quartet being jaded ahead of the season’s opener.
“I think playing cricket is really good because you are match-fit and match-ready to come here,” he said.
“It is about the players then getting what they need out of today’s (final) training as opposed to (telling them) ‘You need to do X, Y and Z,’ so, if they want to hit they hit, if they want to bowl (they) bowl (and) if they want to chill they can chill.
“It is getting them to be in the right frame of mind for tomorrow’s game.”
Talking of that game, how important did Foster think it was for his side to get off to a winning start?
“It is always nice to win your first game, but it is always nice to win every game that you play and you always prepare to win, but the reality is that is not always going to happen so we will manage that.
“It is all ifs and buts at the moment (and), for me, the focus is purely about preparing the guys for the first game giving as much role clarity as you possibly can, getting guys in the right frame of mind and just (for them to) be ready to put on the show tomorrow.”
One player the team will be without at the start of the tournament is talismanic leg-spinning Sri Lanka all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga, a Viper since Season 1, and a player who has driven the team forward in each of the first three campaigns.
But Foster said he was content they had found the ideal replacement in Afghanistan wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad.
“Hasaranga has been phenomenal for us and it is a real shame that he will not be here for the start but that is how it is,” he said.
“We have got a fantastic replacement in Noor, who is young and exciting. Yes, he is a different type of spinner (to Hasaranga and has a) different type of skill-set, but (he is) a wicket-taker just like Hasaranga, so we are absolutely delighted that Noor has joined us.”
Foster said he was also delighted at the first impression he had formed of Bilal Tahir from Kuwait and Faisal Khan from Saudi Arabia, two newcomers to the Vipers this term as part of the DP World ILT20’s connections with cricket in those two countries.
“I have been very impressed,” he said. “We really have two very nice batters and they are also both bowling some spin as well and I think this is a great opportunity for them, a great learning opportunity, bearing in mind they get to rub shoulders with some world-class players.
“When I speak to them, they seem very excited, they have always got really big smiles on their faces, and they are adding to the group which is great.
“I was talking on Sunday about the learnings that they will hopefully make here which I am very confident that they will in all aspects of the game – not just the technical aspect but also the mental side, the fitness side, the environment side, the way you train.
“Then they can pass that back on when they get back home and then, all of a sudden, it starts organically spreading. This is a great opportunity for the guys, and they have been fitting in really well.”
And what about the prospect of going up against the Capitals again, just 10 months after the heartbreak of losing a final against them in Season 3? Is it all about revenge for that loss?
“It is just the first game of the season, it is really the way I see it,” said Foster.
“They have got a very different looking squad from what they had last season, so a lot has passed since then.
“For us it is about keeping things very simple whether it is Dubai in the first game or any of the other teams.
“It is just about us doing our research, going about our business and then knowing, on the day, we take on a very good team.”
The waiting is almost over! It’s almost time for the first match of DP World ILT20 Season 4, with the Vipers set to go head-to-head with the Dubai Capitals, and ahead of that encounter, we caught up with Head Coach James Foster after the side’s final practice session at the ICC Academy at Dubai Sports City.
James talks us through the squad’s build-up to the game and its significance, with everything now focused on the Dubai International Stadium and the evening of the 2nd of December!
This time we speak with returning fast bowling coach Azhar Mahmood. Azhar was with the franchise for the first two seasons of the tournament before switching to working with the Pakistan men’s team, but now he’s back and we caught up with him after he arrived at the team’s base at JA the Resort in Jebel Ali on the outskirts of Dubai.
Azhar is one of the very best in the business in his field of coaching fast bowlers and there are plenty for him to work with at the Vipers this season. There’s captain Lockie Ferguson, death-overs master David Payne, all-rounder Sanjay Pahal who was the player of the tournament in the ILT20 Development Tournament in August and September, plus newcomers Matiullah Khan and Faridoon Dawoodzai, as well as Sam Curran and Naseem Shah, the Pakistan pace ace, amongst others.
Coming up we speak with Vipers Director of Cricket Tom Moody as players and staff start to assemble at the JA Resort in Jebel Ali ahead of the tournament.
Tom was in great form when we chatted, covering off a range of topics and it really is a chat that – as ever with Tom – is well worth your time.
There’s his take on the process of planning for the auction that happened at the start of October and, on top of that, we hear from him on the prospect of facing up to players that the franchise let go ahead of this season.
Desert Vipers captain Lockie Ferguson says the pressure is off UAE fast bowler Khuzaima bin Tanveer ahead of Season 4 of the DP World ILT20.
Khuzaima was one of the breakout stars of Season 3, taking four wickets on debut against the Sharjah Warriorz and being entrusted with the last over of the final against the Dubai Capitals.
He was an unknown quantity last season but now, after being retained by the Vipers ahead of the first-ever DP World ILT20 player auction, he is a player who comes into Season 4 with a high reputation.
That could bring with it expectation, but Ferguson said: “From our point of view there is no pressure.
“Khuzaima is an exceptional bowler regardless of the level of cricket he is playing in and his ceiling is so high.
“He has got such great abilities and his mindset around fast bowling is fantastic too.
“He is one of those players that is keen to learn and he just soaks it all in. Not only does he listen to what the leaders say around him but he also implements it pretty quickly.
“Last year I think he developed quickly through the tournament and I have been following his progress since and he has been doing well this season too.
“I am excited to see what he brings this year. Nothing needs to change from his point of view. He has got great skills, he is super accurate and he bowls quick – that is a pretty good mixture.
“Last season Khuzaima was fantastic coming into the group. He is a star for the area but also a star for the Desert Vipers and he has been developing very nicely over the past year so I will be interested to see how he goes this season.
“If I was to have a player to look out for this season then he would be that pick – doing well in the T10 this season too.
“I want him to enjoy it. I am looking forward to seeing how he goes.”
Khuzaima still has a year to go before he qualifies to play for the UAE but, in the meantime, he will have the chance to work alongside not only captain Ferguson once more but also Pakistan pace ace Naseem Shah.
That trio certainly offers plenty of food for thought for opposition batters and Ferguson said he was looking forward to working with Naseem and swapping tips and hints among the fast bowling cartel.
“I have played a lot against Naseem and I get very excited about guys who can bowl at 150 (kilometres per hour) so it is great to have him on our side,” he said. “He has got a lot of skills with the ball so I am sure he will have a lot of success in this tournament.
“People talk about the fast-bowling community but, in my experience, the people who have given me the most help along the way have been other fast bowlers – and it is not always team mates as well.
“I think there is a shared respect for the difficulty that comes with fast bowling but also the enjoyment factor to see fast bowlers do well.
“When I am working with young fast bowlers, regardless of whether I am playing with them, I will give them tips, I am always open to that – as other bowlers have been in my development phase.
“I think nothing will change with this group.
“I am very excited about the fast bowling group we have – we have got skills, left-hand, right-hand, pace, changes of pace, swing with David Payne, Sam Curran with changes of pace and inswing too.
“So, we have got it all and we just need to put those skills on the park.”
For the captain, the DP World ILT20 represents a chance to press his claim for an international recall after a year away from the New Zealand team. And it is perfect timing with the ICC men’s T20 World Cup coming up early next year in India and Sri Lanka.
Ferguson said that was certainly on his mind but, for now, his focus was all-in with the Desert Vipers.
“I love playing for New Zealand and I was disappointed not to play the home summer last season but I had an injury and that is part of the gig of bowling fast,” he said.
Ferguson: “Last season Khuzaima was fantastic coming into the group. He is a star for the area but also a star for the Desert Vipers and he has been developing very nicely over the past year so I will be interested to see how he goes this season.
“If I was to have a player to look out for this season then he would be that pick – doing well in the T10 this season too.”
“I am still in close contact with the team and if they want me, I definitely want to play.
“It is above my paygrade how that selection pans out. I am very much in my mind building towards that (T20 World Cup) as a real goal because I love playing for New Zealand and with that group of players it is just about as close as it gets to a family within cricket.
“With the success the Black Caps have had over a number of years, it would be nice to go all the way (in the T20 World Cup).
“There is plenty to look forward to but I am very much a game-by-game, tournament-by-tournament guy. I will get started here and my focus is on the Vipers.
“It is like a comfy slipper to be back here. We will start with the first game on Tuesday and go from there.”
And how does he think the Vipers will get on this term?
“Every team will be thinking optimistically about this tournament,” he said. “But from last year we have got the same core and the same coaching group so everything seems familiar.
“From there it is then on us to turn up for that first game and we then continue that attitude throughout the tournament. We prided ourselves on that last season.
“We do have a different looking team this year but it is exciting. We get the chance to work with new players and try to create something fresh this year.
“There were lots of positives to take from last year but we do start fresh this season and at training I felt the group seemed very motivated and we are really excited to get underway.”
