Dubai, Jan 16: Desert Vipers on Tuesday confirmed Colin Munro as their captain for season 2 of ILT20.

Munro has been handed a squad with the core of that 2023 team retained, and some exciting new faces added, including Pakistani players Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Azam Khan and Mohammad Amir.

Munro, who has arrived off the back of taking charge at the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League in Australia, said he was excited at the prospect of leading the team again and pinpointed what he thought was his best quality as a leader: "I think a little bit of maturity. I think as a leader you must show vulnerability sometimes, because I am not perfect and I am never going to be perfect; I don’t expect the players to be perfect, but one thing I do expect is for players to plan and prepare really well.

"Different players do that, and if I know what makes those boys tick so they can get ready for games then we can be just open and honest.

You are not going to please all 22 players and it is extremely hard to keep all of them happy, but if I can do my best and make sure my communication to them is clear and honest, I hope they can take that and run with it.”

Speaking about Munro’s appointment as captain, head coach James Foster said it was a very straightforward decision for himself and Director of Cricket Tom Moody.

"It was a very easy decision (to retain Colin as captain),” he said. “Last year it was probably the first time he was a full-time captain but I was very clear and confident I wanted him to be captain last year, and I thought he did a brilliant job.

"He grew into the role and he has a wealth of experience. I was just looking the other day he has scored 10,000 T20 runs. He is an absolute world-class performer.

"It is not easy being captain and I thought he did a phenomenal job. Everybody has got the answers from afar and commentators suggesting X, Y and Z.I thought he kept calm, and embodied that togetherness that we tried to create during the campaign and sense of belonging within the group."

The ILT20 gets underway on Saturday as Desert Vipers will face Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.