5 teams to have won a hat-trick of titles in a T20 league ft. Oval Invincibles

Oval Invincibles Men v Trent Rockets Men - The Hundred Final - Source: Getty
The Hundred Men's competition ended with the Oval Invincibles pulling off a third title [Credit: Getty]

The joy of winning a title in a multi-team tournament remains unparalleled, with the players deriving ultimate satisfaction from it over individual achievements. Yet, a lone triumph in isolation is rarely the highest form of validation for a side, with doubters often downplaying it as a one-off.

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Defending a title when the champion turns from the hunter to the hunted is arguably the biggest accomplishment for a team. As challenging as it is and has been to win back-to-back titles for most sides, those teams get mentioned in rarified air.

Yet, a select few have gone to three-peat, a feat as rare as any in sports. Michael Jordan is regarded by many as the greatest athlete in team sports because he led the Chicago Bulls to multiple three-peats in the 1990s.

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In cricket, T20, among others, is undoubtedly the hardest format for a team to repeat or three-peat, given the volatility of the format, making it improbable to maintain consistency. Australia managed to win a hat-trick of titles in the ODI World Cup in 1999, 2003, and 2007.

However, in the numerous T20 leagues worldwide, only a select few franchises have managed to pull off the seemingly impossible - winning three consecutive titles.

On that note, we look at five teams that have achieved the arduous task of winning a hat-trick of titles in a T20 league.

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5 teams to have won a hat-trick of titles in a T20 league

#1 Oval Invincibles

The Oval Invincibles are the latest entrant into the elite list of teams to win three consecutive titles in a T20 league. Despite playing in the highly competitive Hundred, the franchise has risen above its rivals in the last three years.

After a disappointing campaign in the first two Hundred seasons in 2021 and 2022, the Invincibles broke through with a thrilling 14-run win over the Manchester Originals in 2023.

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They made it back-to-back titles last year, defeating the inaugural champions, Southern Brave, in the final by 17 runs. And finally, the Invincibles made it a hat-trick of trophies by upstaging the 2022 champions, Trent Rockets, in this year's final by 26 runs.

The side also finished atop the points table after the league stage in all three of their title runs.

#2 Jaffna Kings

The Lanka Premier League (LPL) has fast grown into one of the popular T20 competitions around the globe. Their success can largely be attributed to the Jaffna Kings pulling off a hat-trick of titles in the first three seasons of the LPL.

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The side triumphed in the inaugural season in 2020 despite finishing only third on the points table. The Kings pulled off dominant 37 and 53-run wins in the semifinal and final to lift the trophy.

They finished atop the points table in 2021 and second in 2022, before rampaging through the knockout stages and winning their second and third titles. However, their run ended in the 2023 playoffs.

Nevertheless, the Kimgs got back to winning ways by triumphing for a fourth time in five seasons in 2024.

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#3 Titans

Before the now-popular SA20, the CSA T20 challenge was the lone short-format league in South Africa. Even with the SA20, the T20 challenge continues to have a place of its own among South African fans.

While the Titans and Lions are the joint-most successful teams in the competition with six titles, the former has achieved the unique hat-trick of titles. The Titans won their first three titles in 2004-05, 2007-08, and 2011-12.

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However, their next three came in succession from the 2015-16 to the 2017-18 editions. The Titans defeated the Dolphins for their first and third titles in the three-peat, with the Warriors suffering defeat in the Titans' second title of the run.

#4 Victoria

Victoria was among the first teams to accomplish the incredible three-peat in T20 cricket in the second half of the 2010s. Playing in the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash, which later became the Big Bash League, Victoria clinched the first three titles from 2005-06 to 2007-08.

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Boasting some of Australia's biggest names, Brad Hodge, Cameron White, and David Husssey, among others, the side crushed New South Wales in the final to win the inaugural edition in 2005-06. They made it back-to-back titles, winning a humdinger against Tasmania by 10 runs in the following season.

Victoria completed the hat-trick by pulling off a 32-run victory over Western Australia in 2007-08. They almost made it four in a row but lost in the final of the 2008-09 edition to arch-rivals New South Wales.

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#5 Trinidad and Tobago

Before becoming the marquee franchise of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Trinidad and Tobago dominated the CPL's predecessor, Caribbean Twenty20. The competition, which ran from 2010 to 2013, saw Trinidad win three out of the four titles, including a hat-trick.

The side endured a disappointing inaugural season in 2010, losing in the semifinal to Guyana. However, there was no stopping Trinidad from that point as they won the next three editions from 2011 to 2013.

They decimated one of the invited overseas teams, Hampshire Royals, in the final to clinch their maiden title in 2011. Trinidad then dominated Jamaica and Guyana in the 2012 and 2013 finals to complete the three-peat.

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran
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