Three-peat complete.
Oval Invincibles are inevitable in The Hundred. For three years running, not only have they won the men’s title, they have dominated.
“Just too good once again,” was former England captain Michael Vaughan’s assessment on BBC Two.
“They have all the skillsets required.”
With coach Tom Moody at the helm, this side has been expertly built, with next to no weaknesses and a whole host of strengths.
They arguably lack the out-and-out star names of some teams but, as a collective, they look a match for any side in franchise cricket, certainly outside of the Indian Premier League.
“They have all the difference in the bowling department and they have all the power, left-hand and right-hand combinations, with the bat,” added Vaughan.
“They have also got the nous. They are brilliantly led by Sam Billings.”
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Keeping a core together
Key to their success has been keeping a core of players together for a prolonged period of time – a rarity in franchise cricket.
Five players – Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Will Jacks, Sam Billings and Nathan Sowter – have played more than 30 games for the Invincibles. No other men’s Hundred side boasts more than three, while Invincibles also have Jordan Cox – this year’s leading run-scorer – on 29 matches.
It has created a situation where every player knows their role.
As such, a batter like Donovan Ferreira is able to relax, knowing both the chances are he won’t face many balls and that when he does, his job is simple: hit sixes.
The South African smashed 18 of them from just 77 balls for Invincibles this summer, giving him a tournament-high strike-rate of 235.06 – so it’s working.
Ferreira is an example of a shrewd selection to fill a specific role, but for some positions, the Invincibles have shown a willingness to go out and get the very best.
Leg-spin is where they have had star power, with big money paid for Sunil Narine and Adam Zampa – who flew in from Australia just for this year’s final – in recent years, before Rashid Khan took over for the bulk of the group stage this summer.
With unsung hero Sowter as the second leggie in the side, in 2025 they bowled 270 balls of leg-spin, 110 more than anyone else, and it paid off, bringing them a combined 22 wickets at 16.31.
Left-arm seam bowlers have also been crucial to a varied attack, with Sam Curran joined by Jason Behrendorff this year, after Spencer Johnson’s stints the two previous years – all three have contributed to the Invincibles’ 33 powerplay wickets since 2023.
Prior to the final, not only did they have the second lowest runs-per-ball conceded at the death in the past three years, they also took a wicket every 7.3 deliveries – comfortably the best of any side.
With the bat, they tend to explode late in their innings – the final against Trent Rockets this year a rare exception – with 102 sixes in the last 25 balls of an innings since The Hundred’s inception.
It is little wonder they have won 78% of their matches during their three seasons of dominance.
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An edge and a swagger
Some of what makes a great team cannot be measured by statistics, though.
The grit and determination to fight for every ball has been on display all year.
When opener Tawanda Muyeye said earlier this in the tournament that playing for the Invincibles “feels like playing for Chicago Bulls in the 1990s”, it was a comment on the talent within the squad.
However, there has also been something a bit Michael Jordan in the way the Invincibles have tried to get themselves going by imagining they have been slighted by opponents at times this season.
Tom Curran called Birmingham Phoenix’s Liam Livingstone – a long-time friend of his – a “fat slob” in one game, while numerous Invincibles player, including Ferreira, were only too happy to get into a fiery verbal exchange with London Spirit’s Jamie Overton recently – despite the fact the match was all but won.
It is a team not only willing to fight, but seek it out. They enjoy it. And it has taken them to three straight titles.
However, getting the band back together for a crack at a fourth title next year? That is looking increasingly unlikely.
The end of an era?
The arrival of new investment into The Hundred brings new owners and new ideas, with shareholders taking operational control from 1 October.
Reports suggest this could even be the last year of the 100-ball format, with the 2026 edition becoming a T20 event to match other worldwide franchise leagues.
The England and Wales Cricket Board’s broadcast deal with Sky finishes at the end of the 2028 season, but the tournament looks set for a reboot before then and that may well include the squads.
“With what is going on next year, there has been chat in the group that it might be the last time we play with each other,” Invincibles fast bowler Saqib Mahmood told BBC Two.
“To win it with this group, not knowing what will happen, is special.”
With talk of a new auction system to replace the draft and teams only being able to retain a certain number of players, this could be the end for this Invincibles side.
They will not be the only team impacted by the changes.
The suggestion is sides will only be able to retain one overseas player, which means women’s champions Northern Superchargers would face the unenviable task of choosing between Australian superstars Annabel Sutherland and Phoebe Litchfield, for example.
The aim would be to create a more even playing field, but how will young Invincibles fans feel if their team struggle next year having seen a great side torn apart?
That is one of many questions yet to be answered with the looming spectre of change hanging over The Hundred, but if this is the end of the 100-ball format, no side mastered it like Oval Invincibles.