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Desert Vipers crowned ILT20 champions after Sam Curran's 74* crush MI Emirates

Akshita Patel

ILT20 2025-26 final report [Source: @ILT20Official/X.com]ILT20 2025-26 final report [Source: @ILT20Official/X.com]

Desert Vipers beat MI Emirates by 46 runs in the final of the ILT20 2025-26 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium to claim the title. 

A commanding batting effort led by captain Sam Curran, followed by disciplined bowling from Naseem Shah and David Payne, helped the Vipers lift the title in style.

Sam Curran’s blitz put Desert Vipers in the driver’s seat

Put in to bat first, Desert Vipers had a shaky start. Openers Jason Roy and Fakhar Zaman came out aggressively but did not last long. 

Roy was caught after a quick 11 off seven balls, while Fakhar fell soon after for 20, both dismissed by Fazalhaq Farooqi. At 36/2 inside four overs, MI Emirates had early control of the final. 

Max Holden and Sam Curran then steadied the innings. Holden played the supporting role while Curran began to build his innings patiently. 

Holden scored 41 from 32 balls before getting out in the 15th over, with the score at 125. By then, the Vipers were well set for a strong finish.

Curran took charge in the death overs. He played with authority, picking gaps and clearing the ropes when needed. Dan Lawrence scored 23 off 15 deliveries before being run out on the last ball of the innings. 

Sam Curran remained unbeaten on 74 off 51 deliveries, taking the Desert Vipers to a fighting total of 182/4.

Naseem Shah forces MI Emirates to collapse

Chasing 183 in a final, MI Emirates needed a solid start but lost wickets at regular intervals. Muhammad Waseem gave some hope with his fast knock of 26 off 13 balls, but once he got out, things started going away for MI Emirates.

Andre Fletcher and Tom Banton were dismissed cheaply, putting pressure on MI Emirates to recover from 46/3 in the powerplay phase. Shakib Al Hasan and Kieron Pollard tried to rebuild the innings. 

Shakib played fluently for his 36 off 27 balls, while Pollard anchored the middle overs. Their stand brought MI Emirates back into the game momentarily as the needed rate continued to go up and up.

The turning point came when Shakib was dismissed in the 16th over with the score at 114. From there, the collapse was swift. 

Naseem Shah bowled well, picking up three key wickets, while David Payne cleaned up the lower order with three of his own. MI Emirates were eventually bowled out for 136 in 18.3 overs.

And with that, Desert Vipers became the champions of the ILT20 2025-26 season.