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This time we wrap up the ILT20 Development Tournament in company with Head Coach Jack Luffman after the Desert Vipers Development Team fell to an agonising four-run loss in the final to the Sharjah Warriors at the ICC Academy on Wednesday evening, the 4th of September.

The Vipers team had fought its way to the final thanks to a superb come-from-behind five-run win against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders side the previous evening and looked on course to take the title when they bowled out Sharjah Warriorz for 134 and then reached 60 for one inside the seventh over in reply.

But a superb fightback by the Sharjah bowlers shut down the Vipers batters and in the end the side couldn’t get across the line.

That was the negative, but the positive was some outstanding performances across the tournament by Vipers players – and coming up Jack Luffman talks us through them and the benefits that have come to both the Vipers and UAE cricket as a result.

The Development Tournament featured sides from all six DP World ILT20 franchises and for all the players involved it was a chance to showcase their talent with a view to being picked up in the main tournament’s first-ever auction, which is set to take place in late September ahead of season four in December and January.

Taking part in the tournament was all part of the Desert Vipers’ progress towards that fourth season, which is set to get underway on December the 2nd with the Vipers playing the opening match against the reigning champions the Dubai Capitals, a repeat of last season’s thrilling final.

Remember the Vipers have reached the final twice in the three previous editions, also playing in the ultimate match of the first season, in 2023, as well as in February against the Capitals, and in season four the aim – of course – is to go one better this time and finally lift the silverware.

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With the ILT20 Development Tournament in full swing, we caught up with fast bowler Khuzaima bin Tanveer and wicketkeeper-batter Tanish Suri (pictured in the thumbnail for this episode), two players who are part of the Desert Vipers squad in that competition.

All six DP World ILT20 franchises have teams in the Development Tournament and with three wins in their five matches in the group stage, the Vipers team has given a very good account of itself.

As we recorded this podcast on Sunday night, the 31st of August, immediately after the Vipers’ final group match, a 22-run win against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, the side looked set to contest the semi-finals on Tuesday the 2nd of September with the final taking place the following evening – all matches in the tournament are taking place at the ICC Academy at Dubai Sports City.

The players across all six teams are playing for not only the chance of being part of the winning team but also to put themselves forward to be considered for the DP World ILT20 player auction that is scheduled to take place at the end of September – so there’s a lot at stake.

Khuzaima reflects upon his time with the Vipers last season, his role for the Dubai Capitals in the Global T20 tournament in the Caribbean in mid-year and his ambitions for both the Vipers and the UAE - once he becomes available - and Tanish speaks about not only the Development Tournament, but also there help he's received from the Vipers coaching staff and his ambitions for the years to come.

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Coming up we hear from wicketkeeper-batter Tanish Suri, all-rounder Ali Naseer and left-arm spinner Nilansh Keswani, with the trio set to feature for the Vipers’ Development team at the ICC Academy.

All six DP World ILT20 franchises have teams in the Development Tournament that is taking place in the last week of August and the first week of September and for all the players involved it’s a chance to showcase their talent with a view to being picked up in the main tournament’s first-ever auction, which is set to take place in late September ahead of season four in December and January.

We spoke with the trio at RAW Coffee in Al Quoz on the eve of the Development Tournament and for the three of them, the matches to come hold real significance.

For Nilansh, there’s the desire to be part of a tournament in which he featured for the Sharjah Warriorz in season two. For Ali, the aim is to once again be involved in a tournament he’s played in since the very first edition, while for Tanish, who was called up by the Vipers as cover late in season two before taking over behind the stumps at the start of season three, there’s the wish to show how much his game has developed since he was handed that chance in last term.

And for all three of them, this is a terrific platform to try and impress not only DP World ILT20 franchises but also the UAE selectors as, after the upcoming T20I tri-series against Pakistan and Afghanistan that serves a prelude to the Asia Cup, there’s qualifiers for next year’s ICC men’s T20 World Cup.

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As the summer heat starts to fade in the UAE, it’s time to focus on on-field action again and specifically the ILT20 Development Tournament.

It’s a tournament for UAE players to put themselves in the shop window for the DP World ILT20’s first-ever auction, which is scheduled to take place in late September, and so there is a lot riding on events at the ICC Academy during the last week of August and the first week of September.

To talk to us about the Vipers’ squad for the Development Tournament is Jack Luffman, the Vipers’ Development Lead and someone who will also work as coach to the side during the upcoming action.

We spoke with Jack the morning after the Development Tournament draft, which took place on the evening of Monday the 18th of August at the Dubai International Stadium.

Representatives of the six franchises were in attendance to select their players for the Development Tournament, and coming up Jack gives us an insight into the players he’s helped select for the Vipers squad.

He talks to us about some of the familiar names in the line-up, including pace bowler Khuzaima bin Tanveer, who went from the 2024 Development Tournament to becoming a break-out star of last year’s ILT20, and also some names who might not be well-known at this stage but who hope to become more so, with this tournament being the start of that journey for them.

Khuzaima has already been retained by the Vipers for season four, but that still leaves three spots for UAE players up for grabs in the auction and so there is plenty of incentive for impressing during the upcoming action.

Jack explains how Director of Cricket Tom Moody, Head Coach James Foster and Vipers CEO Phil Oliver will stay across the details during the Development Tournament and also what he expects from the 18-match event that will culminate with a final on Wednesday the 3rd of September.

It’s a fascinating insight into what goes on behind the scenes to put together a key building block of the Vipers’ strategy for season four of the DP World ILT20.

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We’re back ahead of season four, which gets underway on December the 2nd 2025, an earlier start than the three previous editions, which all took place in January and February.

And in this episode that marks the start of the build-up to the new season, we speak with Vipers Director of Cricket Tom Moody, a regular on the podcast.

Tom spoke after confirmation that the Vipers have retained seven players from the season three squad as the core to do battle for season four.

Those seven are captain Lockie Ferguson, vice-captain Sam Curran, who was player of the tournament in 2025, Max Holden and Khuzaima bin Tanveer, two break-out stars of the latest edition, Wanindu Hasaranga – who has been a Desert Viper since day one, Dan Lawrence and David Payne.

Additionally, the franchise has signed USA wicketkeeper-batter Andries Gous, a player who previously played against the Vipers in season two, for the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, when he blitzed the bowling to provide an indicator of what he can do.

We talked with Tom about all these players and also some of the players who didn’t make the cut, but that wasn’t all.

We also discussed whether or not the Vipers will again mine a seam of Pakistan players for this edition, the likelihood of an auction and the selection process for UAE players, what the league’s new tie-up with Kuwait cricket means, what the change in timing for the tournament mean and plenty more.

It’s an engaging conversation with Tom, well worth your while, as ever.

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This is the final episode for season three and in it we speak with Vipers Director of Cricket Tom Moody as part of our wrap-up of the campaign. It’s part two of that wrap, following on from our chat with Chief Executive Officer Phil Oliver.

Just like our conversation with Phil, there was a lot to unpack with Tom and we covered a significant range of topics on the playing side.

Among those topics was the approach to recruitment for the season with the emphasis on bringing in players who were available for the majority of the season and whether that worked.

We spoke about three of the higher profile recruits – Sam Curran, captain Lockie Ferguson and Fakhar Zaman – as well as two stars of the show who arrived with very little fanfare – Max Holden and Khuzaima Bin Tanveer.

Tom also discussed the struggles of Azam Khan and latterly Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and whether the loss of Fakhar and Wanindu Hasaranga to international duty cost the side the title.

The two-time ICC Cricket World Cup winner also got out his crystal ball and gave us his opinion on some key aspects of the league ahead of season four, specifically recruitment, whether or not there should be a draft, the numbers of players to be retained, the future of the impact substitute rule and the numbers of UAE players in each playing eleven.

Tom revealed what learnings the franchise can take forward after coming so close to the ultimate prize in 2025 and he explained what the Vipers needed to do to ensure that, come 2026, the side can lift the title for the first time.

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This episode is part one of a two-part wrap-up of the season. In part two we’ll chat with Director of Cricket Tom Moody, but this time we catch up with Vipers CEO Phil Oliver to paint the big picture for us on where the franchise is at after both an agonising loss in the 2025 final to the Dubai Capitals and also after three seasons of existence.

Topics Phil spoke about included the possibility of moving to three UAE players in any starting eleven for season four as opposed to the current mark of two, as well as the possibilities of expanding the league and even setting up a women’s tournament to go with the men.

Those topics, of course, are all about the future, but Phil also spoke about the here and now – the Vipers’ sustainability strategy and the fight for commercial dollars in a congested sponsorship market up against other franchises who, unlike the Vipers, have tentacles in other T20 leagues around the world.

Phil also covered future windows for the tournament, the possibility of a draft for the next season, whether the Vipers would continue to mine Pakistan for talent as a point of difference from the other teams and whether the Vipers’ owners, Lancer Capital are patient in the face of two near-misses in three seasons.

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In this episode we reflect on heartbreak for the Vipers as the side has lost the final of the DP World ILT20 to the Dubai Capitals.

In a thrilling match, the Vipers posted 189 for five after being put into bat and then reduced the Capitals to 31 for three in reply.

But then Rovman Powell with 63, Shai Hope with 43 wrested back control before dasun Shanaka, who made 21 from 10 balls and Sikandar Raza, with an unbeaten 34 from 12 deliveries applied the coup de gras, getting the Capitals home with four balls and four wickets to spare.

It really was a game of fine margins with so many twists and turns but sadly, for the second time in three years, the Vipers finished on the wrong end of the final result.

Coming up we hear from captain Sam Curran, who was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament, star batter Max Holden, who made an outstanding 76 in the final, and Head Coach James Foster, with all three of them reflecting on a night of bitter disappointment of the franchise.

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