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We’re back with news of the Desert Vipers squad for the Development Tournament that takes place later on in September.

The Development Tournament is an event involving representative sides from all six DP World ILT20 franchises and features UAE qualified players. It is those players’ shop window to be noticed and ultimately picked up by the franchises when the auction for Season 5 of the main event happens, in early October.

Coming up we speak with the Vipers’ head coach for the Development Tournament, Jack Luffman, who gives us the A to Z on the squad for the event that will take place at the ICC Academy from the 14th to the 24th of September. And Jack also talks to us about the Vipers’ Talent Pathway Programme – something of real relevance given the Vipers squad for the Development Tournament includes players from that scheme. Our chat is a terrific listen and well worth your time.

Incidentally, if you’re listening to this podcast and would like to enroll your son or daughter into the Desert Vipers Talent Pathway Programme in Dubai then your first step is to email Jack Luffman who can be reached at jack@thedesertvipers.com. That’s jack@thedesertvipers.com

The Vipers have five group games in the Development Tournament, starting with a match against MI Emirates on Monday the 14th of September, the first day of action.

They then play Sharjah Warriorz on the 16th, Giant Giants on the 17th, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders on Sunday the 20th and finally Dubai Capitals on the 21st.

If the team makes it through to the final stages, the semi-finals are on Wednesday the 23rd of September and the final is the following day.

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This time we can confirm the players who have been retained and signed by the Vipers for Season 5 of the league.

The organisers have allowed a maximum of four retentions and direct signings ahead of a player auction in October and the players that are now on the Vipers books for a tilt at back-to-back titles are Andries Gous, Dan Lawrence, Shimron Hetmyer and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, the latter, the Afghanistan mystery spinner being the franchise’s direct signing.

Coming up we hear from Vipers Director of Cricket Tom Moody, who explains the thinking behind the retentions and the signing, as well as offering an explanation for some of the big names who don’t feature in the retained list and the challenges for the Vipers and other franchises in the face of league regulations relating to players for the coming season.

Tom also talks to us about the recent ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League, which saw the Vipers finish third in the five-team event in Guyana, the first time the side had competed outside the UAE – and he discusses the prospect of the Vipers going back-to-back this season. Can the team become the first to retain the DP World ILT20 crown? Well, Tom lets us have his thoughts on that. It’s a great listen, as it always is when Tom speaks, and it’s well worth your time...

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This time we wrap up the Vipers’ participation in the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League (GSL) – both on and off the field.

We speak with Vipers CEO Phil Oliver about the successes and disappointments of the side’s campaign and we also hear from Alan Smith of NatureWave, one of the Vipers’ key partners in activities away from the tournament action.

The GSL was a five-team event that also featured the hosts and defending champions the Guyana Amazon Warriors from the Caribbean Premier League, the San Francisco Unicorns of the USA's Major League Cricket, the Lahore Qalandars from the Pakistan Super League and Australia’s Perth Scorchers XI from the Big Bash League and it was the first time the Vipers had played in a competition outside of the UAE.

Phil also looks ahead to the ILT20 Development Tournament, set for September, and Season 5 of the DP World ILT20 with the Vipers hoping to become the first side to win back-to-back titles.

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In this episode we hear how the Vipers were knocked out of the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League.

In Friday night's Qualifier for the Grand Final at Providence Stadium, the Vipers suffered an eight wicket loss to the San Francisco Unicorns, meaning that it’s the USA side that goes forward to Saturday’s ultimate match against the hosts and defending champions the Guyana Amazon Warriors.

The Vipers made 122 for seven after being put into bat and the Unicorns replied with 126 for two, winning with 23 balls in hand.

Coming up we hear from head coach Azhar Mahmood as he reflects on the defeat and also the tournament as a whole.

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Ahead of the Vipers’ Qualifier in the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League against the San Francisco Unicorns on Friday night, the match to decide which team goes forward to face the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Grand Final on Saturday, we hear from teenage spin sensation Vitel Lawes.

The 19 year-old, a late call-up for the squad, has featured in every match of the tournament for the franchise, bowling with impressive maturity and control but it was his batting that helped secure the latest win for Shadab Khan’s side, against the Perth Scorchers XI, a result that secured that Qualifier spot.

Vitel was in the midst of his debut international series, the five One-Day Internationals against New Zealand in Guyana and Barbados, when he was offered the chance to join the Vipers and in our chat he explains how that felt and also why he jumped at the opportunity.

Vitel also tells us about his cricketing journey – how it began in his native Jamaica, who his main mentor is and who he looks up to as a cricketing hero.

He also tells about his experience of playing in the GSL, his first franchise tournament, including his dramatic contribution to the win against the Perth Scorchers XI and why he always appears so positive on the field..

Vitel also explains why he’s hungry for more opportunities to ply his trade.

On top of all that, he discusses the Vipers’ prospects in the Qualifier against the San Francisco Unicorns, a match that is win or bust for both teams.

It’s a great introduction to a player who, if he maintains his current trajectory, is someone who will be around at the top level for many years to come.

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It’s back-to-back wins for the Vipers in the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League, this time beating the Perth Scorchers XI – but this win was by the narrowest margin, just one wicket.

Shadab Khan’s side restricted the Australian team to 112 for six but really struggled to chase that score down and it took last man Vitel Lawes in partnership with Nathan Smith to add 12 runs for the 10th wicket to get the side over the line.

Coming up we hear from assistant coach Shane Dowrich as he talks us through the nervy end to the match and plenty more besides.

The win means that the only way the Vipers can be denied a spot in the play-offs is if the San Francisco Unicorns win and win well against the Lahore Qalandars on Wednesday, the final day of the group stage of the competition.

If the Vipers make it through then they will play in the Qualifier on Friday night with the final the following evening.

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The Vipers have kept themselves alive in the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League.

Needing a win against the San Francisco Unicorns to retain a chance of reaching the play-offs, the Vipers achieved just that – and in emphatic fashion too, securing a victory by nine wickets, chasing down 152 with 23 balls to spare thanks to four wickets from captain Shadab Khan and fifties by Zachary Carter and Saiteja Mukkamalla.

Coming up we hear from Saiteja on the importance of the win, his innings and also the chance to bat in the slipstreams of not only Zach Carter but also Rilee Rossouw.

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This time we look back at a heartbreaking two-wicket loss at the hands of the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League, including a chat with one of the Vipers’ standout performers of the match, wicketkeeper-batter Vriitya Aravind.

The Vipers set a record for the tournament by posting a score of 205 for six after being put into bat, with that batting effort anchored by Rilee Rossouw’s 61 from 48 balls, but the record score only lasted a couple of hours as the Warriors chased it down in the final over, coming back from a seemingly hopeless position thanks to a remarkable eighth wicket stand of 91 in seven overs between Mohammad Nabi and Romario Shepherd.

It means the Vipers are now nought from two after their previous loss to the Lahore Qalandars and so nothing less than two wins from their final two group games, against the San Francisco Unicorns on Monday night and the Perth Scorchers 24 hours later, will do if the side is to give itself a chance of reaching the play-offs.

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