Top 5 T20 teams in the world

The format of Twenty20 (T20) cricket, which was invented in England back in 2003, has grown both in popularity and stature tremendously over time. It was considered to be a hit-and-giggle format to start off with, and the top international players refused to pay too much attention to it.A lot of traditional cricket lovers were aghast at the introduction of the new format at the time, as they felt it would go on to completely ruin Test match cricket. They have, however, become much more receptive to the format over time, and it is now entrenched in the cricketing calendar.The players, too, were initially finding it difficult to come to terms with T20 cricket, and they weren’t too sure about the different strategies to be employed. But they have learned along the way and have become much more skilled at executing the different facets of a T20 game.Here are the top 5 T20 teams in the world:

#5 Trinidad & Tobago

It’s a pity that Trinidad and Tobago’s T20 team disbanded in 2013 with the launch of the Caribbean Premier League T20. There is no doubt, nonetheless, that they were one of the best T20 teams in the world while there.

They won the T20 league in the West Indies three years in a row - from 2010 to 2012 - and had an excellent winning percentage of 77.67, having won 43 out of their 60 T20 matches. However, they attracted the attention of the cricketing world due to their exploits in the 2009 CL T20, where they reached the final before losing to New South Wales.

They weren’t able to make an impact in subsequent in CL T20s, but that is due to the fact that they were hampered severely by the loss of the likes of Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo to IPL franchises.

#4 Hampshire

It’s ironical that although England is the original home of T20 cricket, their domestic T20 competition has not garnered much publicity especially since the advent of other T20 leagues around the world.

Despite England’s T20 tournament going under the radar in recent seasons, Hampshire’s consistent performances in the shortest format of the game haven’t escaped attention.

They have played a colossal 137 T20 games – out of which they have won 74 games - and have a winning percentage just above 60. They won the Friends Life T20 in 2010 and 2011 and have been desperately unlucky to be knocked out in the semi-finals on a couple of occasions.

A major reason for their success has been their strong core of domestic players. They have had the likes of Michael Carberry, James Adams and Dimitri Mascarenhas performing with great consistency over the years in addition to having enjoyed the services of the ever-dependable South African in Neil McKenzie.

#3 Sialkot Stallions

Sialkot Stallions, statistically at least, can lay claim to being the best T20 team on the planet. The Stallions, led by Pakistan batsman Shoaib Malik, were established in 2004, and their home ground is the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot.

They have a winning percentage of 80 since the time that they started playing in 2005, having won 48 matches and lost just a mere 12. They won the domestic T20 competition in Pakistan for 5 years consecutively, from 2005/06 to 2009/10, and also hold the world record for the most T20 wins in a row. They went on a winning streak of 25 matches - not losing a single T20 match from February 2006 to October 2010.

#2 Pakistan

While Sri Lankas win percentage is marginally better than that of Pakistan, you could make a strong case for Pakistan being the best T20 international team in the world. It should perhaps be no surprise that Pakistan have done really well in T20, as their unpredictability blends in nicely with the erratic nature of the format.

They have won 49 matches out of the 82 that they have taken part in and have a win/loss percentage of 60.97. Apart from winning the 2009 World T20 against Sri Lanka in England and finishing 2nd in the 2007 edition, eventually losing to arch-rivals India, they have made the semi-finals in both the 2010 and 2012 editions of the tournament.

#1 Chennai Super Kings

Chennai Super Kings, without doubt, deserve their place among the top T20 teams in the world. Out of the 134 matches that they have played across the Indian Premier League and Champions League T20, they have won an impressive 80 matches, giving them a winning percentage of 60.90. They are the most successful team in the IPL, having won the title twice in 2010 and 2011, not to forget the fact that they have finished as runners-up on three occasions. They are the only team to have reached the knock-out stages of every single IPL, a remarkable achievement after having had 7 seasons of IPL, and they also won the CL T20 in 2010 to complete their trophy cabinet.