A month after the DP World ILT20 started with shots fired at the Desert Vipers, Kieron Pollard opted for a different tack ahead of Sunday’s final.
Back at the start of December, Gulbadin Naib gloated that his favourite memory of Dubai Capitals’ title-winning campaign had been beating the Vipers again and again, including in last season’s final.
It might have been designed to light the blue touch paper, but the Capitals’ title defence did not take long to fizzle out. The following night, Gulbadin fell first ball as the holders tumbled to a chastening defeat.
The Vipers have barely looked back since. They topped the regular season table with eight wins from 10 matches.
They then powered their way through to Sunday’s final at the Dubai International Stadium in the most convincing fashion possible. In the qualifier play-off, they amassed 233-1, on their way to a comprehensive win over MI Emirates, who they will now face again in the final.
Clearly, the Vipers are the outstanding side in ILT20’s Season 4. They have been there before, though. With 29 wins across the four seasons of this competition, they are the UAE franchise tournament’s winningest side. And yet they still have no trophy to show for it.
Between them and a first title is the great giant of T20 franchise cricket – the UAE offshoot of the mighty Mumbai Indians.
Nobody has played more T20, or won more trophies, across the globe than Pollard, the MI captain. With another crown within his sights, he opted for a less abrasive lead in than Gulbadin had gone for last month.
“We are coming up against the best team in the tournament so far, and overall, so it is going to be a tough encounter,” Pollard said.
“We have done it before. We know what needs to happen in finals cricket. We understand the magnitude of the game. We are going into the game as underdogs.”
Pollard then turned the charm offensive towards Sam Curran, his former teammate in UK cricket, who will be leading the Vipers in the absence of their injured captain, Lockie Ferguson.
“I was reading somewhere about Sam’s leadership, and that he is unbeaten as captain,” Pollard said. “Everything is leaning in his favour, which is a good thing – not just for Sam, but for future reference.”
Sat in the seat opposite, Curran grinned knowingly and said: “The mind games have started.”
The pre-match niceties will likely evaporate once the game starts. It might not exactly be the Vipers all-in on Gulbadin levels yet, but an agreeably terse rivalry between them and MI is also starting to simmer.
That much was shown in the qualifier play-off, when Tom Banton and Usman Tariq traded verbals when the latter dismissed the former.
“In the qualifier there was some needle on the pitch, which is fantastic,” Curran said. “It shows how much the guys from both teams want to win.
“We love winning. I know Polly quite well, and we are both very competitive. Most guys in both sides are very experienced players; in finals you just hope it comes together.
“We will try our best and it will be a highly competitive environment. I am really looking forward to the challenge.”
For all their excellence this season and the win against their final opponents last time out, the Vipers know from bitter personal experience that the final hurdle in the hardest to pass. They lost there in the first season to Gulf Giants, as well as the last, against the Capitals.
The intervening title was won by MI, who became the most successful franchise in global T20, in the process.
The Vipers do not have IPL heritage to fall back on. In fact, the American-owned team are the only franchise of the six in the tournament not to be part of a wider stable of teams.
At least not in cricket. Avram Grant, their owner, does also own Manchester United and have properties in other sports, and Curran is hopeful his side can present him with a first trophy in cricket.
“Unfortunately, we have no trophy yet,” Curran said. “One thing I will say about the management is, yes, they don’t have any other teams at the moment, but they have really bought into building a seriously strong franchise with a great culture, showing that we can win.
“They have signed really smartly, and we have shown that consistency of continuity of the same players over the past three or four years.
“Of course, as a franchise we would like to win tomorrow, but if we don’t, I think it has still been a very successful year. We are really looking forward to hopefully giving [the owners] their first trophy.”
