DUBAI: England all-rounder Sam Curran, a serial winner in England in 2024, is hoping he can bring that formula for success to the Desert Vipers in this season’s DP World ILT20.
The 26-year-old won The Hundred with the Oval Invincibles and the County Championship with Surrey last year, and now he wants to start 2025 with some more silverware as the Vipers chase a first title.
Speaking to the Vipers Voices podcast, Curran said: “I guess I love winning trophies. Any player loves winning trophies and the last couple of years I have won a couple, which has been really nice.
“I think one of the keys to that is the culture of this team — that is really important. The vibe and the energy around the group is vital and that is one reason I have come to the Vipers after playing the last part of the season with them last year.
“For me, it links back to coming to a place where I know a lot of people and you can feel comfortable, you can express yourself, you can have a joke, but when you come down to training you can be that serious and energetic group, and train really hard and be honest with each other when you have a bad day.
Curran was one of a group of players that also included Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Aamir, UAE all-rounder Dhruv Parashar and wicketkeeper-batter Tanish Suri, and England fast bowler Luke Wood, that got together at the ICC Academy on Sunday for a first hit-out ahead of the new season.
The left-armer has chosen to return to the Vipers following his 2024 cameo despite having a number of possible options, with multiple leagues going on around the world at the same time.
Elaborating on his reasoning, Curran said: “The fact is I know quite a lot of people here. Obviously (Desert Vipers director of cricket) Tom Moody is a guy I know really well as he is my head coach at the Oval Invincibles. The Vipers’ strength and conditioning coach, Darren Veness, has worked with me at Surrey for many years and then there is James Foster, the Vipers head coach. There are a lot of familiar faces.
“I liked the environment and the culture last year that was created, even though I was only here for probably 10 days or so. The environment is something that is quite important to me and knowing that I am here for the next five weeks, with a sense we can build something quite nice is a positive.
Director of Cricket Tom Moody and Head Coach James Foster have both talked about their expectations for Curran not just as a batsman and bowler, but also as a senior leader of the team. Curran was player of the tournament when England won the T20 World Cup in Australia just over two years ago, and he captained the Punjab Kings during the 2024 Indian Premier League.
Curran said he was excited about sharing his knowledge and experience.
“Even though I am still fairly young I still feel extremely experienced around T20 cricket,” he said.
“I know the captain Lockie Ferguson quite well having played with him, so I will just be trying to help guys and share my experiences, and hopefully show some performances on the park that will enhance the team’s chances of winning.
Sam Curran’s brother Tom, who was a part of the Desert Vipers squad in season one and missed season two due to injury, has now signed with the Gulf Giants for season three of the DP World ILT20.
It means the brothers will be in opposing teams in this tournament, unusual because they are teammates both at the Oval Invincibles and with Surrey. The upcoming sibling rivalry is something Sam said he was looking forward to.
“I have spoken to Tom about it,” said Sam. He is in Australia now, playing in the Big Bash League, but we have already penned that date in the diary, the Vipers vs. the Gulf Giants!
“We played against each other once or twice in the IPL or twice, I think when he was with Delhi. It will be a very strange feeling but I think now that we are a bit older there will be no love on that field.
“I am sure there will be a lot of bragging rights around the dinner table and I am sure our mum will be there for that as well. I am very excited for that one. Whatever happens, as long as I hit him for six, I will be happy.”
The Vipers, even with Sam slotting in for the last part of last season, failed to make the playoffs in 2024 having been runners-up in season one, but Sam said he was confident the players on duty this time would be able to set the record straight.
“The schedule for this season looks pretty compact and busy, so I think it is probably really important for us to start well and try to get that confidence up.
“The good thing is, there is so much experience in our side. You look at guys like Alex Hales, Wanindu Hasaranga, Luke Wood and UAE players like Ali Naseer and Tanish Suri — these guys are coming back for the third season, so I am sure they will have learned from that last season and help us to put things right. That is important because the competition is going to keep getting stronger.
The Desert Vipers first match of the 2025 DP World ILT20 is on day two of the tournament, against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
