Hasan Nawaz rejoins Desert Vipers for ILT20 2026 after Aneurin Donald's England call-up

Pakistan batter Hasan Nawaz is going back to Desert Vipers for the fifth season of the International League T20 (ILT20) in the UAE, ARY News reported on Friday. He replaces England's Aneurin Donald, who was bought at the recent auction but has been picked for England's T20I series in Australia in November and December.

ILT20 season 5 runs from 21 November to 20 December 2026. Desert Vipers are the defending champions.

Five Pakistanis at the Vipers

Nawaz joins a Pakistani group that the franchise built at the auction: Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan and Naseem Shah (our auction story). With five Pakistan players, the Vipers will be the team most fans here follow.

Desert Vipers chief executive Phil Oliver welcomed Nawaz back and congratulated Donald on his England selection.

A different player from last season

Nawaz, 24, was in the Vipers squad that won season 4 but did little with the bat: 124 runs in 13 matches at an average of 15.50 and a strike rate of 126.53, though he took 12 catches.

He has scored heavily since:

• PSL 2026: 291 runs at 32.33, strike rate 134.10
• CPL 2026: 220 runs for Antigua and Barbuda Falcons, joint top scorer for the team with Evin Lewis as the Falcons won the title
• Asian Games final: 96 against India, though Pakistan lost by 19 runs and took silver (report)

Before the UAE

Pakistan's home ODI tri-series with Sri Lanka and England starts in Rawalpindi on Sunday 18 October; the fixtures and PKT start times are on our tri-series schedule page.