On October 25, 2026, Shadab Khan was officially designated as the captain of the Desert Vipers for the fifth season of the DP World International League T20, which starts on November 21, 2026. The 30-year-old Pakistan T20 all-rounder will be the third permanent skipper in the franchise after Colin Munro and Lockie Ferguson, and lead the defending champions along with other countrymen Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman and Naseem Shah.
Having represented the franchise in season 2 and captained them in the Global Super League in Guyana this year, Shadab Khan has been appointed as the team’s captain in the Desert Vipers first ever full ILT20 leadership campaign. Tom Moody, Director of Cricket, described him as “the perfect fit” because of his tactical sense, the knowledge he has of the head coach James Foster and his vast experience of running different squads in Pakistan, UAE and Afghanistan. With seven PSL campaigns with Islamabad United, most recently a Player of the Tournament campaign in 2024, Shadab has experienced the leadership and accumulated more than 400 wickets in India’s T20 cricket.
The appointment comes as a testament to a remarkable recovery after his surgery to repair his right shoulder in July 2025, which sidelined him for a few months. Since returning, he finished as the PSL’s third-highest wicket-taker with 17 scalps and smashed his maiden international century—an unbeaten 113 against England in Lahore last month. Currently featuring for UAE Bulls in the Abu Dhabi T10, Shadab will lead the Desert Vipers into their ILT20 2026 season opener against MI Emirates at Dubai International Stadium on November 21, aiming to secure the tournament’s first-ever back-to-back title defense.
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