ILT20: Tom Moody on how Desert Vipers are trying to bridge gap to IPL teams

Who to support when the UAE’s new franchise cricket competition, the International League T20, starts next year?

Three teams have ready-made fan bases before a ball is bowled. Dubai Capitals and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders are representatives of the Indian Premier League franchises in Delhi and Kolkata whose names they bear, while MI Emirates are tied to Mumbai Indians.

And the other three? At this stage, it feels a little like intrigued supporters might have to pick their favourite investment firm, and plump for them.

The teams have no obvious geographical link. The player pool is fluid. Azam Khan’s involvement as the only Pakistani player is still yet to be confirmed. No Indian stars will be involved.

In the case of Desert Vipers, they might hope to pick up supporters from the other teams with which they are affiliated, too – although not in cricket.

The Vipers are owned by Lancer Capital, which is a private equity firm based in the United States. The company’s chairman, Avram Glazer, is part of the family who own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Manchester United.

Might his new cricket venture in the UAE be able to pick up the residue from those teams?

“I hope so,” Tom Moody, the Vipers’ director cricket said, when asked if they will become the cricket team of choice for Manchester United fans.

“If we get only a small percentage of them, we have a big following, haven’t we?”

Players attend a Desert Vipers training session at Jebel Ali Shooting Club. Antonie Robertson / The National

In reality, the cricket operation has little overlap with the other teams in their owner’s portfolio, but Moody is grateful for their sporting expertise.

He is, after all, attempting to build a team from scratch, to compete with franchises who