Dubai, UAE (28 November 2023) – The inaugural Viper Cup will produce “diamonds out of the sand” in terms of Desert Vipers support for the second season of the DP World ILT20 according to Pakistan cricket legend Shoaib Akhtar.
The tournament, which took place last Friday at the U-Pro indoor cricket centre in Al Quoz, Dubai, was part of the Desert Vipers’ community outreach programme that also features an ongoing schools programme.
And Shoaib, who attended the event, was impressed by the Vipers’ efforts to engage with the local community, all part of an attempt to generate new fans.
"An event like this is only going to encourage people to come forward,” said the fast bowler who took 444 international wickets across a career that featured appearances in three ICC Cricket World Cups, including the final at Lord’s in 1999.
“It is a huge step forward by the Desert Vipers to engage with the local community and it is going to help produce diamonds out of the sand. It is a great initiative.”
Shoaib was not the only big name to attend the event that saw players from real estate companies based in Dubai compete, along with a team made up of members of the Desert Vipers management team.
Also in attendance were three of the Desert Vipers’ UAE-based players, Rohan Mustafa, Karthik Meiyappan and Aryan Lakra, as well as David White, the CEO of the DP World ILT20.
In addition to the indoor cricket, there was also a children’s play area and scrumptious local and Asian food offerings, and a presenter from local radio station Talk 100.3 kept the crowd in high spirits.
Desert Vipers CEO Phil Oliver explained why the Viper Cup was so important to the team: “We are reaching out to communities. A big part of our plan for season two of the DP World ILT 20 is to connect with cricket fans –established ones and hopefully some new ones too – and that is what the Viper Cup is all about.
“We really want to make a connection with the Pakistan cricket fraternity and we know that is a key focus for us is to build those relationships.
“We want fans to come into the ground, support the Desert Vipers and so to engage with them by way of a cricket tournament, something that is very familiar to the people here (at the Viper Cup), we felt was an important thing to do ahead of a season two (of the DP World ILT20).”
David White, CEO of the DP World ILT20, said the Desert Vipers community engagement strategy tied in perfectly with the league’s plans to achieve high crowd numbers for matches during the coming season.
“Our key focus this year is to maximize crowds,” he said. “We want to have big crowd attendance because it is critical for the teams and for the league, not only for the atmosphere (it can generate) but also for the (appearance of the) broadcast and the commercial deliverables as well.”
“I think community engagement (like this) is critical in terms of the development of our league, the way we engage with the community and engage with not only the young people but the older people as well, to garner support for the teams.
“We have started ticket sales and so we are really excited about that and looking forward to the first match on the 19th of January.”
Rohan Mustafa was a great hit with Desert Vipers fans in season one of the DP World ILT20 with his all-action style with the bat, ball and in the field, and he is all set to prepare for the second edition of the tournament by playing for the Bangla Tigers in the Abu Dhabi T10 tournament.
Ahead of that, he said the Viper Cup was a great way for the franchise to engage with fans.
“The Vipers Cup has been a great tournament and there are a lot of people enjoying themselves by attending it,” he said.
“It has produced fun cricket and I believe this kind of tournament will be a boost for the Desert Vipers as well as I believe there are a lot of people who will come to the tournament to support the Desert Vipers as a result of this.”
Teammate Aryan Lakra added: “I think it's a really good initiative by the Vipers. For me, growing up in the UAE, I have always seen that a lot of people have a craze for this game, and to see a lot of people just get together and play the game in such a fun and organized way is really good.”
Karthik Meiyappan also said it was great to be a part of the community initiative, but he also admitted he was intrigued by indoor cricket and was tempted to join in: “Indoor cricket is coming up here in the UAE, and I feel like a lot of players are taking up this sport.
“I have never played indoor cricket but it looks really interesting to me, and I really want to jump in and have a couple of hits too.”
The Viper Cup also tied in with the Desert Vipers’ message of sustainability, something the franchise is keen to champion.
Players and families that attended the event were encouraged to bring along unwanted items of cricket clothing and equipment so that they could be recycled.
And any plastic bottles used during the event were collected for recycling.
The Desert Vipers have signed up to the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework, the first Dubai-based sports organisation to do so, and it is a move that commits the franchise to cut its carbon footprint by 50 per cent by 2030 and reduce it to net zero a decade later.
However, the team is ambitious and is seeking to achieve those targets as soon as possible.
To this end, the Desert Vipers have produced a Sustainability Strategy Framework, a road map of how they intend to reach their goals.
And the ongoing schools programme, another part of the franchise’s efforts to engage with the UAE cricket community, sees coaches attend schools in Dubai to provide introductions to both cricket and the message of sustainability.
The second edition of the ILT20 is scheduled to start on 19 January 2024, with the Desert Vipers’ first match against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday 21 January.
The Desert Vipers finished as runners-up in the inaugural edition of the tournament in January and February 2023.
