Desert Vipers beat MI Emirates to clinch ILT20 title

Dubai: The Desert Vipers clinched their first-ever DP World ILT20 title with a commanding 46-run victory over MI Emirates at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday night.

Skipper Sam Curran led from the front with a superb unbeaten 74 off 51 deliveries, striking eight fours and two sixes to propel the Vipers to a formidable 182/4. He received valuable support from Max Holden, who scored 41 off 32 balls, and Dan Lawrence, whose brisk 23 off 15 provided late momentum. The Vipers’ bowlers then took charge, with Naseem Shah (3/18), Usman Tariq (2/20), and Khuzaima Tanveer (2/22) laying the foundation before David Payne’s three-wicket burst (3/42) restricted MI Emirates to 136.

The champions took home a prize purse of $700,000 and the coveted Black Belt, while MI Emirates received $300,000 as runners-up.

The final was preceded by a spectacular pre-match show, as fireworks and a dazzling drone display lit up the Dubai skyline. The grand build-up created a carnival atmosphere, celebrating the league and setting the tone for the season’s showpiece event.

Curran capped off a remarkable tournament by claiming both the Red Belt for Most Valuable Player and the Green Belt for Best Batter. He finished the season with 397 runs, including three half-centuries, while also contributing seven wickets and 10 catches.

Defending their total, the Vipers struck early through Naseem Shah, who removed Andre Fletcher (10 off 11) and Tom Banton (7 off 6). Khuzaima Tanveer then dismissed Muhammad Waseem (26 off 13), leaving MI Emirates reeling at 46/3 inside the powerplay. With pressure mounting, Shakib Al Hasan and Sanjay Krishnamurthi were tasked with rebuilding the innings.

Usman Tariq tightened the screws further by dismissing Krishnamurthi (2 off 9) in the eighth over. Shakib (36 off 27) tried to steady the chase with measured aggression, but boundaries were scarce. Alongside a struggling Kieron Pollard, MI Emirates limped to 72/4 at the halfway mark.

A brief revival came through a 50-run partnership between Shakib and Pollard (28 off 27), but Tariq’s dismissal of Shakib shifted the game decisively in the Vipers’ favour, leaving MI Emirates needing 61 runs from the final four overs. Naseem Shah soon accounted for Pollard, and David Payne tore through the tail with three wickets in the 18th over. Khuzaima Tanveer sealed the win by uprooting Muhammad Rohid’s stumps (3 off 4), as the Vipers wrapped up the contest with nine balls remaining.

Earlier, the Vipers got off to a positive start as Fakhar Zaman (20 off 15) and Jason Roy (11 off 7) added 34 runs in the first three overs. Fazalhaq Farooqi swung the momentum back with a double strike in the fourth over, dismissing both openers. Curran responded in style, smashing three boundaries in the final over of the powerplay to take the score to 59/2.

Curran and Holden then built steadily, rotating the strike effectively to reach 83/2 at the halfway stage. Their 50-run stand came off just 39 balls, and they eventually added 89 runs together before Arab Gul removed Holden in the 15th over. Curran brought up his half-century off 39 balls in the 17th over and, alongside Dan Lawrence, accelerated in the death overs. The pair added 57 runs in 33 balls, lifting the Vipers to 182/4.

The White Belt for Best Bowler went to Dubai Capitals’ Waqar Salamkheil, who topped the charts with 18 wickets. MI Emirates’ Muhammad Waseem claimed the Blue Belt for Best UAE Player for the fourth consecutive season after amassing 370 runs in Season 4. Each belt winner received a $15,000 prize.

Player of the Match and Vipers captain Sam Curran said: “I was definitely nervous going into the final. The players, management, and owners have been incredible, and tonight will be a big celebration. Nerves are natural and can be helpful. Losing Gous to injury in the warm-up tested us, but it showed the depth of our squad. MI are a top-quality side, but we’ve been the most consistent team this season, and I think we deserved the trophy.”

MI Emirates skipper Kieron Pollard reflected: “Things went wrong for us in the field. Our start wasn’t sharp enough, and in a final those moments really count. If you save 15—20 runs, the chase looks very different. We didn’t step up when it mattered most. The Vipers deserved the win. I felt 180 was chaseable, but losing early wickets hurt us. Still, from where we began to where we finished, it’s been a fantastic tournament for us.”

Brief scores: Desert Vipers beat MI Emirates by 46 runs. Desert Vipers 182/4 in 20 overs (Sam Curran 74 not out, Max Holden 41, Dan Lawrence 23, Fazalhaq Farooqi 2 for 33). MI Emirates 136 all out in 18.3 overs (Shakib Al Hasan 36, Kieron Pollard 28, Muhammad Waseem 26, Naseem Shah 3 for 18, David Payne 3 for 42, Usman Tariq 2 for 20, Khuzaima Tanveer 2 for 22). Player of the match: Sam Curran

Red Belt (Most Valuable Player) — Sam Curran, Desert Vipers

Green Belt (Best Batter) — Sam Curran, Desert Vipers

White Belt (Best Bowler) — Waqar Salamkheil, Dubai Capitals

Blue Belt (Best UAE player) — Muhammad Waseem, MI Emirates