Desert Cubs Cricket Academy

Legends of the
Future

From Dubai training grounds to UAE national squads, ACC championships and ICC tournaments — these are the players Desert Cubs helped forge. Their achievements are our proof.

Join the Next Generation

17+

Alumni Profiled

UAE

National Players

ACC

Champions 2025

2007

Building Champions

Every UAE national cricket team member below started their journey at Desert Cubs Cricket Academy

Current Stars

The 2024–25 Generation

ACC U16 West Zone Cup winners, UAE national representatives, ECB Academy League champions — all Desert Cubs trained.

Akshat Rai — UAE U19 Cricket Star, Desert Cubs Academy
UAE U19 Record Holder

Akshat Rai

UAE U19 National Team • Right-Hand Bat / Right-Arm Medium

  • UAE U19 — World Cup 2025 Qualifiers & Asia Cup 2024
  • Record: 213-run opening partnership vs Japan — U19 Asia Cup history
  • ECB U16 MVP 2022–23: 580 runs in 9 innings
  • UAE U16 Tour of Leicestershire UK — Top scorer: 255 runs in 5 games
Mohamed Nafees — UAE U16, Desert Cubs Academy
ACC U16 Champion ECB League Captain

Mohamed Nafees

UAE U16 National Team • Right-Hand Bat

  • ACC Men's U16 West Zone Cup 2025 — Champions (Qatar)
  • Scored 127 off 114 balls vs Oman in ACC final league game
  • Captained DCCA team to ECB U16 National Academy League title 2024–25
  • Selected by Dubai Cricket Council at age 11 — active since 2020
Liam D'Souza — UAE U16, Desert Cubs Academy
ACC U16 Reserve Desert Vipers

Liam D’Souza

Dubai Cricket Council • Right-Hand Bat / Off-Spin

  • ACC U16 West Zone Cup 2025 — Reserve squad member
  • ECB Semi-Final 100 & U16 Inter-Emirates — 3rd highest aggregate, two 100s & a 50
  • Played UAE U19 Inter-Emirates at age 14 — scored two rapid 50s vs national team players
  • Desert Vipers Development team 2024 & 2025
Aiden Manian — UAE U16, Desert Cubs Academy
UAE U16 Desert Vipers Captain

Aiden Manian

UAE U16 National Team • All-Rounder

  • ACC Men's U16 West Zone Cup 2025 — Winners (Qatar)
  • Captained Desert Vipers Juniors 2024; member 2025
  • DCCA ECB U16 National Academy League Champions 2024–25
  • U16 Inter-Emirates Champions — Dubai Cricket Council 2025
Jordan Alvares — UAE Cricket, Desert Cubs Academy
ACC U16 Reserve

Jordan Alvares

Dubai Cricket Council • Right-Hand Bat

  • ACC U16 West Zone Cup 2025 — Reserve squad (Qatar)
  • DCCA ECB U16 National Academy League Champions 2024–25
  • U16 Inter-Emirates Champions — Dubai Cricket Council 2025
  • Dubai CC Vikings — U19 Ramadan Youth League Champions 2025
Nameer Palekar — Man of the Match UAE U16, Desert Cubs
UAE U16 Player of Tournament

Nameer Palekar

UAE U16 National Team • All-Rounder

  • ACC Men's U16 West Zone Cup 2025 — Won Man of the Match
  • DCCA ECB U16 League 2024–25 — Player of the Tournament
  • ECB Development Squad — U16 & U19 Inter-Emirates 2025
World Record Holder

Kavisha Kumari

Kavisha Kumari — UAE Women's cricket world record holder, Desert Cubs Academy
Desert Cubs Academy Graduate

World Record

Youngest cricketer in the world (male or female) to score an international half-century — breaking Sachin Tendulkar's record with 57* vs Malaysia at age 15+ (Thailand T20 Smash 2019)

UAE National Records

Youngest UAE Women's National Team selection at age 11 (Gulf Cup 2014) • Top 5 most runs in International Women's T20 2023 (696 runs in 2022) • Youngest female cricketer to 1500 international runs

Global Recognition

FairBreak Invitational 2022 & 2023 (Barmy Army) • Best Female Cricketer of UAE Season 2018 — award from Kumar Sangakkara • First female to play Red Bull Campus Cricket UAE 2019

UAE U19 — World Cup Qualifier Generation

The 2018–19 Champions

Five Desert Cubs graduates in the UAE U19 squad that qualified for both the Asia Cup (Sri Lanka) and Cricket World Cup (South Africa) 2019–20.

Aaron Benjamin — UAE U19 Cricket, Desert Cubs
UAE U19 World Cup Qualifier

Aaron Benjamin

  • UAE U19 Asia Cup — Bangladesh 2018
  • Sharjah U19 — UAE Inter-Emirates Winners 2018
  • UAE U19 — qualified for Asia Cup (Sri Lanka) & World Cup (South Africa)
  • U19 Inter-Emirates Winner award — Kumar Sangakkara ceremony 2019
Ashwanth Valthapa — UAE U19 Cricket, Desert Cubs
UAE U19 World Cup Qualifier

Ashwanth Valthapa C

  • UAE U19 — World Cup & Asia Cup Qualifiers 2019 (scored unbeaten 100)
  • UAE U19 — qualified for Asia Cup (Sri Lanka) & World Cup (South Africa)
  • Sharjah U19 Runners-up — UAE Inter-Emirates 2018–19
Chethiya Gamage — UAE U19 Cricket, Desert Cubs
UAE U19

Chethiya Gamage

  • UAE U19 Asia Cup — Bangladesh 2018
  • Dubai U19 Runners-up — UAE Inter-Emirates 2018
  • UAE U19 — Poolist for Asia Cup & World Cup Qualifiers 2019
Niel Lobo — UAE U19 Cricket Captain, Desert Cubs
UAE U19 Teen Award Winner

Niel Lobo

  • UAE U19 Asia Cup — Bangladesh 2018
  • Captained DCCA Elite ECB U17 Academy League 2018–19
  • Winner UAE Teen Awards 2019
  • UAE U19 — qualified for Asia Cup (Sri Lanka) & World Cup (South Africa)
Saneen Latheef — UAE Cricket, Desert Cubs
UAE U19 Reserve

Saneen Latheef

  • Reserve for UAE U19 — Asia Cup & World Cup Qualifiers 2019
  • Sharjah U19 Runners-up — UAE Inter-Emirates 2019
  • Top run scorer for DCCA in ECB U17 League 2018–19 — 1000+ runs that season
Brandon Martis — UAE U19 Asia Cup, Desert Cubs
UAE U19

Brandon Martis

  • Western Region Qualifiers Asia Cup 2017 — Malaysia
  • UAE U19 Asia Cup 2017 participant
  • DCCA Runners-up — ECB U17 National League 2017–18
UAE Women's Cricket

Our Women's Champions

Desert Cubs produced the first-ever ECB Women's League champions in UAE history (2017) and continues to send women to ICC global events.

Esha Oza — Desert Cubs Women's Cricket UAE

Esha Oza

UAE Captain ECB Champions ICC Global
  • UAE Women's Captain & Desert Cubs graduate
  • Captained DCCA ECB Women's League Runners-up 2017–18
  • ICC Women's Global Development Squad — England 2018
  • ICC Women's World T20 Qualifier — Netherlands 2018
  • World Cup Qualifiers — Thailand 2017
Heena Hotchandani — Desert Cubs Women's Cricket UAE

Heena Hotchandani

ICC T20 Qualifier
  • ICC Women's World T20 Qualifier — Netherlands 2018
  • DCCA ECB Women's League Runners-up 2017–18
Judit Cleetus — Desert Cubs Women's Cricket UAE

Judit Cleetus

ICC T20 Qualifier
  • ICC Women's World T20 Qualifier — Netherlands 2018
  • DCCA ECB Women's League Runners-up 2017–18
Shivani Sathe — Desert Cubs Women's Cricket UAE

Shivani Sathe

World Cup Qualifier
  • World Cup Qualifiers — Thailand 2017
  • DCCA ECB Women's League Runners-up 2017–18
  • Standby for ICC Women's World T20 Qualifier — Netherlands 2018

Your Child Could Be Next

Every legend on this page started in a Desert Cubs session just like the ones happening this week at 6 centres across Dubai and Sharjah. Book a free trial today.

Book Free Trial Girls Cricket Programme

Partners & Sponsors

Dubai Duty Free — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE Dubai Duty Free
HJ Unicare — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE HJ Unicare
Home Center — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE Home Center
Jotoi — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE Jotoi
K&H — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE K&H
Kulcha King — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE Kulcha King
Neoterra — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE Neoterra
OM Computers — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE OM Computers
Owl Cafe — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE Owl Cafe
Pay10 — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE Pay10
Shiva Computers — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE Shiva Computers
Siraj Finance — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE Siraj Finance
Yastakaful — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE Yastakaful
Dubai Duty Free — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE Dubai Duty Free
HJ Unicare — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE HJ Unicare
Home Center — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE Home Center
Jotoi — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE Jotoi
K&H — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE K&H
Kulcha King — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE Kulcha King
Neoterra — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE Neoterra
OM Computers — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE OM Computers
Owl Cafe — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE Owl Cafe
Pay10 — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE Pay10
Shiva Computers — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE Shiva Computers
Siraj Finance — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE Siraj Finance
Yastakaful — Desert Cubs Cricket Academy sponsor UAE Yastakaful

Training Venue Partners

SES Sharjah English School · Sharjah
DPS Delhi Private School · Jebel Ali
DIS Deira Intl. School · Festival City
SIS Star Intl. School · Al Qusais
AIS Apple Intl. School · Al Karama
BSA Baseline Sports Academy · DIP
Official Affiliations:
ECB Emirates Cricket Board
ICC International Cricket Council
GCCA Gulf Cricket Council for Academies

Become a sponsor → admin@desertcubs.com