Desert Vipers vs MI Emirates Head to Head: Vipers Lead 6-4 Before the Season 5 Opener
The ILT20 Season 5 opener is a final rematch. Desert Vipers and MI Emirates walk out at Dubai International Stadium on Saturday 21 November 2026 (6:30pm UAE, 7:30pm Pakistan, 8:00pm India) less than eleven months after the Vipers beat them by 46 runs to lift the Season 4 trophy on the same ground. Fixtures like this are exactly what our ILT20 today match hub is built for, and the head to head record says this is the closest rivalry in the league: 10 meetings, six wins for the Vipers, four for MI Emirates, and not a single tied or washed out game (Wisden head to head data).
DV vs MIE head to head at a glance
| Desert Vipers | MI Emirates | |
|---|---|---|
| Matches played | 10 | 10 |
| Wins | 6 | 4 |
| Wins in Dubai | 3 of 4 | 1 of 4 |
| Highest total in the fixture | 233/1 (Qualifier 1, Season 4) | 241/3 (2023) |
| Last meeting | Won by 46 runs (Season 4 final) | Lost by 46 runs |
| Knockout meetings | Won both (Qualifier 1 and the final, Season 4) | Lost both |
Every Desert Vipers vs MI Emirates result
| Date | Venue | Scores | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Jan 2023 | Abu Dhabi | MI Emirates 169/5, Desert Vipers 170/3 | Vipers won by 7 wickets |
| 29 Jan 2023 | Sharjah | MI Emirates 241/3, Desert Vipers 84 | MI Emirates won by 157 runs |
| 30 Jan 2024 | Dubai | MI Emirates 149/9, Desert Vipers 150/8 | Vipers won by 2 wickets |
| 4 Feb 2024 | Abu Dhabi | MI Emirates 188/5, Desert Vipers 158/8 | MI Emirates won by 30 runs |
| 16 Jan 2025 | Dubai | MI Emirates 159/6, Desert Vipers 161/5 | Vipers won by 5 wickets |
| 27 Jan 2025 | Abu Dhabi | MI Emirates 228/2, Desert Vipers 74 | MI Emirates won by 154 runs |
| 9 Dec 2025 | Abu Dhabi | MI Emirates 158/9, Desert Vipers 159/4 | Vipers won by 1 run |
| 21 Dec 2025 | Dubai | Desert Vipers 124/7, MI Emirates 128/6 | MI Emirates won by 4 wickets |
| 30 Dec 2025 | Abu Dhabi | Desert Vipers 233/1, MI Emirates 188/7 | Vipers won by 45 runs (Qualifier 1) |
| 4 Jan 2026 | Dubai | Desert Vipers 182/4, MI Emirates 136 | Vipers won by 46 runs (Final) |
Scores and margins are from the IPL.com and Wisden head to head records for this fixture.
What the head to head record really says
Three patterns matter more than the 6-4 scoreline.
The Vipers own the big nights. The only two knockout meetings between these sides came five days apart in Season 4, and the Vipers won both by wide margins: 45 runs in Qualifier 1 in Abu Dhabi, then 46 runs in the final in Dubai. When the trophy pressure is highest, this matchup has tilted one way.
MI Emirates own the blowouts. The two biggest wins in the fixture belong to MI: 157 runs in Sharjah in 2023, when the Vipers were bowled out for 84 chasing 241/3, and 154 runs in Abu Dhabi in 2025, when the Vipers folded for 74 against 228/2. No other pairing in the league swings this hard. MI’s ceiling, with Nicholas Pooran in the middle order, is the highest in the fixture.
Dubai favours the Vipers. In Dubai the Vipers lead 3-1, including the final. The opener is in Dubai, under lights, on the ground where they lifted the trophy. The second meeting, a 2:00pm day game in Abu Dhabi on 28 November, is the one MI will target: the series is 3-2 to the Vipers there. The full fixture list is on our ILT20 2026 schedule page.
One more quirk: batting first and chasing have produced five wins each across the 10 games, so the toss has decided nothing in this rivalry so far.
The two nights that define the Vipers vs MI Emirates rivalry
Qualifier 1, 30 December 2025, is the best batting performance the fixture has seen. Andries Gous made 120 not out off 58 balls, still the highest individual score in ILT20 history, and Fakhar Zaman added 69 in a 157-run opening stand as the Vipers posted 233/1, the highest total of Season 4 (CricTracker). Usman Tariq took 3 for 33 on his league debut and MI Emirates finished on 188/7.
Five days later, the final was a different kind of win. MI won the toss, chose to field, and had the Vipers 36/2 inside four overs after Fazalhaq Farooqi struck twice early. Stand-in captain Sam Curran, leading because Lockie Ferguson was injured, made 74 not out off 51 and Max Holden added 41 as the Vipers reached 182/4. Naseem Shah and David Payne then took 3 wickets each, MI were bowled out for 136 in 18.3 overs, and the Vipers finally won a final at the third attempt. Curran finished as player of the tournament with 397 runs.
Season 5: Babar Azam vs Fazalhaq Farooqi
The auction has given this rivalry a new headline act. Farooqi, whose record USD 380,000 fee made him the most expensive player in league history, opens the bowling for MI Emirates. Facing him in the powerplay should be Babar Azam, signed by the Vipers for his USD 80,000 base price, less than a quarter of Farooqi’s fee. Our breakdown of which team Babar joined and what he cost has the full signing story.
The Vipers were deliberate about it. Chief executive Phil Oliver told Wisden that Babar was “very much high on our list of priorities”, pointing to his record as the leading run-scorer in men’s T20 internationals and the top scorer in PSL history, and saying the combination at the top of the order means the Vipers feel they have “all bases covered” for UAE conditions (A-Sports, reporting the Wisden interview).
Farooqi has form in this fixture: his two early wickets in the final nearly broke the Vipers’ innings before Curran rebuilt it. How Babar and Fakhar Zaman handle his first two overs in Dubai may set the tone for the whole season opener.
One question is still open. The Vipers have not named a Season 5 captain yet, and Curran and Ferguson are both absent from the 2026 squad. Our explainer on the Babar Azam captaincy situation sets out what is confirmed and what is not. MI Emirates, by contrast, know exactly who leads them: Nicholas Pooran, under head coach Mark Boucher.
Players who decide the Season 5 opener
Naseem Shah vs the MI top order. Naseem took 3 wickets in the final and leads a Vipers attack built for Dubai’s true bounce. Muhammad Waseem, kept by MI through a USD 210,000 right to match card, is the powerplay threat he has to stop.
Mujeeb ur Rahman in the powerplay. The Vipers kept Mujeeb before the auction because his mystery spin is hardest to attack on slower surfaces. Against Pooran and Waseem he is the matchup bowler.
David Payne’s death overs. The Vipers used a right to match card to keep Payne at USD 150,000, their most expensive auction buy, after his 3 wickets in the final. MI’s finishers, Pooran and Romario Shepherd, are his direct test.
The full squad, prices and fixtures are on our Desert Vipers team page.
Verdict: who wins the Season 5 opener?
The Vipers start as narrow favourites in Dubai: they lead the head to head 6-4, they lead 3-1 at this ground, and they won the last two meetings by 45 and 46 runs. But this fixture produces one rout a season, and MI Emirates have delivered both of the record ones. If Farooqi wins the powerplay against Babar and Fakhar, the opener flips fast.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Desert Vipers vs MI Emirates head to head record?
Desert Vipers lead it 6-4 from 10 ILT20 meetings. There have been no ties or no-results. The Vipers have also won both knockout meetings, Qualifier 1 and the final in Season 4.
Who won the last Desert Vipers vs MI Emirates match?
Desert Vipers won the Season 4 final in Dubai on 4 January 2026 by 46 runs. They made 182/4, with Sam Curran 74 not out, and bowled MI Emirates out for 136, with Naseem Shah and David Payne taking 3 wickets each.
When do Desert Vipers and MI Emirates play in ILT20 Season 5?
Twice in the league stage. The season opener is in Dubai on Saturday 21 November 2026 at 6:30pm UAE time, and the return game is a 2:00pm day match in Abu Dhabi on Saturday 28 November 2026.
Which team has the highest total in this fixture?
MI Emirates, 241/3 in Sharjah in 2023, which set up a 157-run win, the biggest margin between the sides. The Vipers’ best is 233/1 in Qualifier 1 in Season 4, powered by Andries Gous’s 120 not out.
Who will captain Desert Vipers in Season 5?
It has not been announced yet. Sam Curran and Lockie Ferguson, who led the title run, are not in the 2026 squad, and the franchise has not confirmed a replacement. Babar Azam’s name leads the speculation, but nothing is official.
What is the biggest win in Desert Vipers vs MI Emirates matches?
MI Emirates’ 157-run win in Sharjah on 29 January 2023. The Vipers were bowled out for 84 chasing 241/3. MI also won by 154 runs in Abu Dhabi in January 2025.
