ILT20 Final: Sam Curran Leads Desert Vipers to First-Ever Title

Sam Curran led Desert Vipers to their maiden ILT20 title with a commanding 46-run win over MI Emirates. Curran's unbeaten 74 off 51 balls, supported by Max Holden's 41, propelled Vipers to 182/4. The bowlers, led by Naseem Shah (3/18) and David Payne (3/42), restricted Emirates to 136. Desert Vipers got off to a strong start, with Fakhar Zaman and Jason Roy blazing away in the early overs. Fakhar smashed Shakib Al Hasan for a six on the second ball of the innings, and Roy followed up with back-to-back fours off Muhammad Rohid, propelling Vipers to 34/0 in three overs. However, Fazalhaq Farooqi turned the game around with a double-wicket over, dismissing Roy and Fakhar. Sam Curran then led the charge, hitting three straight fours off Farooqi to close out the powerplay at 59/2. Desert Vipers built a strong total around Sam Curran's aggressive batting, with Max Holden and Colin Lawrence contributing crucial runs. Curran kept the scoreboard ticking, pulling Tajinder Singh for two midwicket sixes and guiding Kieron Pollard past short third. Holden joined the party, hitting Tajinder over covers and long-on, taking Vipers past 100 in the 12th over. After Holden's dismissal, Lawrence and Curran led the charge, with Curran scoring his fifty off 39 balls. The pair smashed Romario Shepherd for three sixes in the 18th over, propelling Vipers to 182/4. Curran was named Player of the Match and won the Red Belt for Most Valuable Player and Green Belt for Best Batter. He scored 397 runs and took 7 wickets in the tournament. Desert Vipers 182 for 4 (Curran 74*, Holden 41, Farooqi 2-33) beat MI Emirates 136 (Shakib 36, Naseem 3-18, Payne 3-42, Tariq 2-20, Tanveer 2-22) by 46 runs