“If you can win the ExxonMobil GSL, you are the ultimate franchise champion” – Andries Gous

USA wicketkeeper batter Andries Gous believes the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League is developing into a significant tournament, with some of the best franchise teams across the globe competing for the title.

Speaking to Vipers Voices podcast Gous said he was excited that the DP World ILT20 champions, the Desert Vipers, had the opportunity to compete in Guyana and showcase their talent: “I think it (the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League) is almost like the Champions League back in the day, where all the winning teams got to play against each other. And it is almost the same concept where everybody that has won a tournament in the previous year gets to play in the GSL or gets invited to play in the GSL.

“So it is almost like if you can win the GSL, you are the ultimate franchise champion. “I think it is pretty good that they started the tournament. It is good for Guyana. They love their cricket. I also think it is great that the Vipers can get another opportunity to put a team out there in a different tournament and showcase how good the Vipers can be.

“I have heard some really good things about the GSL. I think we have got a really good squad, so it is going to be a really good tournament for us.”

Gous played one of the great Twenty20 innings in the DP World ILT20 for the Desert Vipers, against MI Emirates in Season 4’s Qualifier 1. He scored 120 not out and led the side to their third final in four seasons of the tournament. Gous said he was keen to continue his run of good form for the Vipers in the Caribbean but he warned that playing conditions, especially for visiting batters, would not be easy.

Drawing on his previous experience in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) for Trinbago Knight Riders and Antigua and the Barbuda Falcons Gous said: “I think playing in the CPL and playing in the Caribbean is probably one of the hardest places to be as an overseas batter.

“There are not a lot of overseas batters that have really scored a lot of runs. I can only think of a few names that consistently scored runs just because of the slowness (of the pitches) and (because) sometimes it spins, sometimes it (the ball) stays low.

“And that is why the Caribbean boys are so strong – because of the wickets. They know how to hit proper sixes. So, it is always special if you can have one or two or three of them (West Indies players) in your team because you know that they can really hit sixes when you need (them) to.

“I think Guyana is a tough place to bat, but I have played a few games there now, so I know the conditions and I know a few of our boys also have played a lot of cricket there, so hopefully we will be good. But the wickets are definitely going to be a bit tricky this season.”

Gous has been keeping busy since the Vipers were crowned champions of Season 4 of the DP World ILT20. Firstly, he was in action for the USA in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, and then he headed off to Pakistan to represent Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). In that latter event he featured alongside Chris Green and Shadab Khan, both of whom will be his Vipers teammates in the GSL. Gous said he was excited to be led by Chris Green.

“He (Chris Green) is a quality player,” Gous said. “Since he came into Islamabad, the squad just lifted its energy. He is a guy that brings a lot of positive energy. So whenever he walks into the room, people start laughing, people are happier. So I think that will definitely benefit our squad as well.

“He is a good leader. He reads the game pretty well. And then, obviously, his skill set of the spin in the middle in Guyana for us is going to be crucial. So him and Shadab will do really well for us.”

Speaking about Shadab Khan, who led the Islamabad United side, Gous added: “(It was) good to have Shadab Khan as a teammate in the Pakistan Super League. We were in the same team last year as well, so we know each other quite well now. “He reads the game pretty well and is a really good captain.

“What a fantastic player! I think whenever the chips are down, he stands up. That is something he really prides himself on. So, hopefully he can do that whenever we are in trouble, or even if we are not in trouble, he can just stand up and win us some games.” The Guyana Amazon Warriors from the CPL are the defending champions of the GSL, and they are joined in the upcoming tournament by the Desert Vipers (DP World ILT20), the Lahore Qalandars (PSL), the Perth Scorchers (BBL – Australia’s Big Bash League) and San Francisco Unicorns (United States of America’s Major League Cricket) for the 2026 GSL.

Gous said he expected Guyana’s cricket fans to be out in full force to watch not just the home team but all the visiting sides as well: “Guyana is a place that just loves cricket. They support everyone, but yes, they do love their home team. They support them very well. “I think, it is going to be a tournament that is well supported again, especially when Guyana plays, it will be pretty full. The Caribbean people, they love their cricket.

“It is always a good atmosphere when you play in the CPL and hopefully now the GSL will be the same.” Gous said he had full confidence in the Vipers to make a strong bid for silverware in Guyana: “I think the way the Vipers play their cricket, it is positive. It is a good brand of cricket. We like to take the game on.

“And with the squad that we have built now, and the team that we have, it is a proper, strong team. I think whatever the conditions we can adapt to everything. We have got the spin, we have got pace, we have got really good batting.

“So it is just down to the day. Hopefully we can do well and everybody can click. One hundred percent I think we are definitely going out there to win the tournament and try and make the Vipers fans proud again.” (PRESS STATEMENT)

Here is a list of players who will represent the Desert Vipers at the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League:

Chris Green (AUS) – Captain; Jason Behrendorff (AUS); Daryl Mitchell (NZ); Bevon Jacobs (NZ); Shadab Khan (PAK); Vriitya Aravind (UAE); Khuzaima Bin Tanveer (UAE); Matiullah Khan (UAE); Sanjay Pahal (UAE); Andries Gous (USA); Kyle Mayers (WI); Khary Pierre (WI); Ramon Simmonds (WI) and Zachary Carter (WI).