DUBAI: One of the defining features of the DP World ILT20’s fourth edition is the inclusion of one player from Saudi Arabia and one from Kuwait in each of the six franchises. These opportunities have been facilitated by partnerships established between the respective cricket boards of the two countries and ILT20.

All these players were bought at the auction held on Oct. 1 in Dubai. Five of the Saudi players were bought at their reserve price of $10,000, with one acquired at $16,000. Two of the Kuwaiti players were bought for $14,000, the other four at the reserve price.

Four of these 12 players were guaranteed to end up as members of the two franchises that reached the final. Shortly after the Desert Vipers reached the final by defeating the MI Emirates in Qualifier 1 on Dec. 30, I caught up with their Saudi player, Faisal Khan. In a wide-ranging discussion, we talked about his experience with the Vipers, of the tournament overall and how these will contribute to his own development and that of cricket in Saudi Arabia. He began by telling me about how he shut himself away in a room when the player auction was taking place and of his delight when he was bought by the Desert Vipers.

Khan is the youngest of four brothers, three of whom are cricketers. In fact, one of his brothers, Abdul Salam Khan, has been part of the Sharjah Warriorz franchise. He returned home early because the Warriorz were eliminated at the group stage of the league. Their father, a civil engineer, arrived in Saudi Arabia from Pakistan decades ago. Khan credits him with providing unwavering support and constructive advice on many occasions. This involved driving long journeys between Riyadh and Jeddah when Khan was playing junior and youth cricket. During these years, Khan said that his real coach was his uncle, who took him to a basketball court and taught him the rudiments of the game.

This coaching clearly worked. Khan watched his club’s matches avidly and then, one day, the team was a player short and his moment came. People said that he was too small, but he claimed a wicket and kept his place in the team. In another match, he claimed three wickets to win the game. It was heartwarming to learn that the pathway that so many young boys and girls have taken in gaining entry into cricket had been experienced in a country hitherto not greatly associated with the game.

Khan’s development saw him selected for the Saudi national U-15 team. Later, he captained the U-19 national team. His debut for the senior team came in January 2019 against Bahrain in Oman. Since then, he has played a further 60 T20Is, the last of which was in January 2025, scoring 1743 runs at an average of 31.10. His club in Saudi Arabia is Fireox CC in Dammam, where he is under the tutelage of Waqas Alvi.

An issue for Saudi cricketers is that, so far, their national teams do not get enough opportunities to play. At the moment, there is no ground of appropriate standard to host international matches, so all such matches are played in other countries. No doubt, this will change. In the meantime, the opportunities for the six Saudi players in ILT20 are of great significance. Khan told me that he “has learnt too much” — there is so much to learn from the players, coaches and staff of the Desert Vipers that it is difficult to absorb all of it. Khan was full of praise for the way in which he has been treated and welcomed. Understandably, he was nervous in the first few days, but now he says that he has made friends within the squad and feels that he has known and played with them for years.

When he returns to Saudi Arabia, Khan will be armed with various development plans, which cover training, diet, fitness and technical matters. During his time with the Vipers, his strengths and weaknesses in both batting and bowling have been assessed, with guidance for development willingly provided and absorbed. Khan has nothing but respect for the Vipers’ coaches. Another aspect of cricket that has impressed him is the speed with which players assess pitch conditions and adapt to them, a skill he will look to hone.

What mechanisms are in place for Khan and the other five Saudi ILT20 players to enable them to enhance and transfer their new knowledge back home are to be revealed. This will be a vital component of the multi-year partnership with ILT20. How many of the six players will return for the next edition of the ILT20 is another unknown. It is assumed that a balance will need to be struck between achieving continuity of experience and spreading the experience among Saudi players.

The partnership between the SACF and ILT20 has specified that the latter will assist the former in supporting development pathways, talent identification and cricketing infrastructure. A development tournament is scheduled to take place in the Kingdom in 2026, with a medium-term aim of hosting certain ILT20 matches there. All of this is music to Khan’s ears — he cannot wait for these developments and events to begin. During our discussion, his love for cricket came shining through. He gave up his studies to play the game and is grateful to the Saudi system for giving him the opportunity to do so at an international level. Now, he is eager to witness and be part of accelerated steps to the next level. In the meantime, he can savor the DP World ILT20 Cup winners’ medal in his possession, coupled with a wealth of happy memories and experiences generated during his time with the Desert Vipers.