• Tom Moody, Desert Vipers Director of Cricket: “One of the positive things for the Desert Vipers and the tournament itself is that Sam has decided to come to this league against the other options that are out there. I think that says a lot about how the competition is held in players' eyes and the growth of the tournament moving forward."

Dubai, UAE (October 15, 2024) - All-rounder Sam Curran, the player of the tournament in England’s ICC T20 World Cup success in Australia in 2022, will return to the Desert Vipers squad for the upcoming season three of the DP World ILT20.

Curran joined the Vipers for two matches at the end of last season and the signing of such a high-quality performer is a signal of the desire of the franchise to return to the sort of form it showed in the first edition of the DP World ILT20 when it finished as runner-up.

In welcoming back the player, Desert Vipers Director of Cricket Tom Moody said he believed Curran’s presence for a longer period following his season two cameo would benefit not only the Vipers but also the entire tournament.

“We are obviously the recipients of a high-quality player, and it is great that he feels the Desert Vipers is a home for him where he can apply his trade and hopefully help us achieve what we are looking to achieve as a franchise,” said Moody.

“One of the positive things for the Desert Vipers and the tournament itself is that Sam has decided to come to this league against the other options that are out there. I think that says a lot about how the competition is held in players’ eyes and the growth of the tournament moving forward.”

Curran brings with him a wealth of international experience and is the third-highest wicket taker for England in Twenty20 Internationals over the past two years.

The all-rounder, who is still only 26 years of age, made his international debut in a Test match against Pakistan in 2018 and has already amassed 1574 runs and 134 wickets for his country across formats.

Curran has also made a name for himself plying his trade in shortform tournaments across the world, be it in India, South Africa or back home in England. His most recent outing in the Indian Premier League saw him taking over captaincy duties for the Punjab Kings after skipper Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out due to injury.

Curran ended that tournament as the franchise’s fourth-highest run-scorer (his 270 runs including two half-centuries and coming at a strike-rate of 123 runs per hundred balls) and its third-highest wicket-taker (with 16 wickets in 13 matches).

Tom Moody said that while no decision had yet been taken on who would assume the captaincy following the departure of Colin Munro, he expected Curran to play a key part within the Desert Vipers think-tank for the upcoming season.

“With regards to his captaincy experience and what he has done in the IPL with the Punjab Kings and what he has done elsewhere, he will play an important leadership role within the group,” said Moody.

“He has got a huge amount of experience in this format of the game and can offer a lot. The thing that he just brings naturally is that he is an instinctive leader. So we will all lean on that experience, and he is willing to be an important voice as the tournament unfolds.”

The signing of an all-rounder is something that may raise some eyebrows given the continuation of the impact substitute rule for a second season in the DP World ILT20, with the expectation that sides will pack their line-ups with specialist batters and bowlers at the expense of players who offer both skills.

The rule allows teams to replace a player at any point during a match, with the trend towards a bowler replacing a batter or vice-versa once the incumbent’s primary role in the side has been carried out.

Moody said he knew Curran’s strengths well having worked with the left-hander at the Oval Invincibles, the team that has won back-to-back titles in England’s short format tournament, The Hundred.

And the man who was also an ICC Cricket World Cup winner with Australia in 1999, said he was certain Curran could play an influential role in the upcoming campaign.

“I have had a lot to do with Sam over the past few years with the Oval Invincibles, so having that personal connection goes a long way in knowing exactly what he can deliver both on and off the field,” said Moody.

“And while people probably ask why an all-rounder when there is the impact sub rule, well, Sam Curran is one of those unique all-rounders that plays a complete all-round game, and what I mean by that is that he can take the new ball, he can bowl effectively in the middle overs and he is well-versed when it comes to bowling at the death which is such a critical component when it comes to any team.

“With the bat he is versatile as he can fit in anywhere from one to seven and can be very effective in all those roles. And finally, being a left-hander, it just adds an extra dimension in his role in the side where we can move him up and down the batting order according to the situation.”

The schedule for season three of the DP World ILT20 is expected to be announced soon and ahead of that announcement all teams, not just the Desert Vipers, are firming up their final UAE player selections through the ongoing DP World ILT20 Development tournament in Dubai.

Looking ahead to season three, Tom Moody said he was satisfied with all the recruits and retentions confirmed so far.

“Our preparation for season three began months ago with regards to recruitment and finding the right balance for the squad and player availability for the January – February window and we are very happy with the recruiting process and who we have on board.

“We are very excited to be competing in season three in 2025, with some familiar faces and also some new faces to represent the Desert Vipers,” he added.

Incomings include explosive Pakistan top-order batter Fakhar Zaman, ex-England under-19 captain Max Holden, England seam bowler David Payne who was part of the Gloucestershire side that won the T20 Blast in England and Wales in 2024, and New Zealand speedster Lockie Ferguson.

They join a dressing room that already features players including star all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga from Sri Lanka, Pakistan left-armer Mohammad Amir and wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan, plus Alex Hales, the man who was the leading run-scorer and maker of the tournament’s first hundred in season one.

And the UAE players already locked in are outstanding young all-rounder Ali Naseer and talented wicketkeeper-batter Tanish Suri.