Noor Ahmad has joined the Desert Vipers for the 2025/26 season of the International League T20. Noor previously competed in the tournament’s debut season, 2022-23, for the Sharjah Warriorz. The left-arm spinner was hired to replace Wanindu Hasaranga, who will be unavailable owing to national obligations in Sri Lanka.
Noor Ahmad has played 14 games in the format in the UAE, 10 of which have been for Afghanistan.
He has 15 wickets in the country, with an outstanding economy rate of 6.84 and an average of 23.73. He will join countrymen Qais Ahmad and Faridoon Dawoodzai on the Vipers’ roster. He appeared to be confident in his ability to understand the conditions and perform well in the tournament.
“I played in the first season of the competition and so I know what to expect from conditions. With two other Afghanistan players in the squad there will be some familiar faces for me as soon as I walk through the door,” stated Noor.
The Vipers have reached the finals of the ILT20 on two occasions before. They have done so in the previous edition and the first one in 2022-23. However, they ended up on the losing side on both occasions. They came second best to Gulf Giants in their first final. On the other hand, Dubai Capitals won the title in a thrilling final-over finish in the 2024-25 iteration. The fourth edition is set to commence on December 2 with a clash between Dubai Capitals and Desert Vipers.
Noor is expected to be available for the whole tournament. The 20-year-old wily spinner already has a wealth of experience in the franchise T20 circuit. He has played in the IPL, The Men’s Hundred, CPL, SA20, BBL and PSL. The left-arm orthodox spinner was recently a part of Afghanistan’s squad for the Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE.
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