The Desert Vipers is a professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team that plays in the EmiratiInternational League T20 (ILT20). It was one of the six teams that were announced for the inaugural season. It was founded in 2022, and currently owned by the Lancer Capital LLC.[1]
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 Colin Munro. The Vipers were the runners-up of the first season of the tournament, and finished 5th in Season 2.[2][3][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 6 different cities of United Arab Emirates, including Desert, were put up on auction in UAE in September 2022. The Desert franchise was purchased was Manchester United FC CEO revealed that, led by Avram Glazer will be owning a team in the league. The team unveiled their logo and jersey in January 2023, through their social media handles.
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.
