The Desert Vipers is a professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team that plays in the Emirati International League T20 (ILT20). It was one of six teams that were announced for the inaugural season (2023); it was founded in 2022 and is owned by Lancer Capital LLC.
The team's chief executive officer is Phil Oliver; the cricket director is Tom Moody. The team is coached by James Foster and captained by Lockie Ferguson. The Vipers were runners-up in the inaugural season of the tournament, finished 5th in Season 2, were runners-up again in Season 3, and finally the champions in Season 4.
History In August 2022, the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) announced the establishment of the International League T20, to be started in 2023. The teams for the competition, representing three different cities of the United Arab Emirates, and three general teams which were not tied exclusively to one city, were put up for auction in the UAE in September 2022. The franchise was purchased by Manchester United FC CEO Avram Glazer. The team unveiled their name Desert Vipers, logo and jersey in January 2023, through their social media handles.
Current squad
Players with international caps are listed in bold. Name Nationality Birth date Batting style Bowling style Year NotesBatsmen Harry Tector Right-handed Right-arm off break 2026 Dan Lawrence Right-handed Right-arm off break 2026 Shimron Hetmyer Left-handed Right-arm leg break 2025 Joe Clarke Right-handed Right-arm off break 2026 Hassan Nawaz Right-handed Right-arm medium 2025 Faisal Khan Right-handed Right-arm off break 2025 Bilal Tahir Left-handed Leg break 2025 Fakhar Zaman Left-handed Slow left-arm orthodox 2025 All-rounders Sam Curran Left-handed Left-arm medium-fast 2023 Wanindu Hasaranga Right-handed Right-arm leg break 2023 Wicket-keepers Vriitya Aravind Right-handed 2025 Andries Gous Right-handed 2025 Pace bowlers Lockie Ferguson (capt) Right-handed Right-arm fast 2025 Sanjay Pahal Right-handed Right-arm medium 2025 David Payne Right-handed Left-arm fast-medium 2025 Faridoon Dawoodzai Right-handed Left-arm fast 2025 Naseem Shah Right-handed Right-arm fast 2025 Babar Azam Right-handed Right-arm spin-bowl 2026 Khuzaima Tanveer Right-handed Right-arm fast 2025 Spin bowlers Qais Ahmad Right-handed Right-arm leg break 2025
Statistics Season summary SeasonLeague standingFinal standing20232nd out of 6Runner Up20245th out of 6League Stage20251st out of 6Runner Up20261st out of 6Champions
Administration and support staff PositionNameCEO Phil OliverDirector of cricketTom MoodyHead coachJames FosterBatting coachNeil McKenzieFast bowling coachAzhar MahmoodSpin bowling coachCarl CroweFielding coachSimon Helmot Source
Sustainability The Desert Vipers became the first cricket franchise in the world to make their full season carbon footprint public, when they published their Season 1 footprint of 573 tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2023. In Season 2, they hosted their first 'Sustainability Match', which aimed to celebrate their achievements to date and trial new sustainability initiatives. They are Dubai's first signatory to the United Nations Sports for Climate Action Framework, and they have committed to Net Zero by 2040.
In Season 4 (2025–26) they unveiled a green playing kit as a sign of commitment to their sustainability values.
References