Invincibles three-peat – how they did it and why era could be ending

Complete in three pieces.

The Hundred features The Hundred’s Oval Invincibles. They have dominated over the men’s title for three years straight, in addition to that.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan’s opinion on BBC Two was “just too good once again.”

“They possess all the necessary skills.”

This side has been expertly built, with no weaknesses and many advantages, under the guidance of coach Tom Moody.

Although they lack some of the franchise cricket’s out-and-out star names, they still appear to be a match for any team, especially one that isn’t in the Indian Premier League.

They possess all the power, left-hand and right-hand combinations, and bat, according to Vaughan.

A core of players who have been together for a long time, which is unusual in franchise cricket, has been the key to their success.

More than 30 games have been played for the Invincibles by five players: Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Will Jacks, Sam Billings, and Nathan Sowter. Invincibles also have Jordan Cox, the year’s leading run-scorer, in 29 matches, while no other men’s Hundred side has more than three.

Every player now has a sense of their role.

A batter like Donovan Ferreira can relax knowing that he has a good chance of not having many balls to hit and that the job is straightforward: hitting sixes.

This summer, the South African’s 235.06 strike rate, which he scored from just 77 balls, earned him a tournament-high 231.06 in the process.

Ferreira is an excellent choice to fill a particular role, but the Invincibles have shown a willingness to go out and seek the very best for some positions.

In recent years, Sunil Narine and Adam Zampa have received significant funding from Leg-spin before Rashid Khan took over the majority of the group stage this summer. They only flew in from Australia for this year’s final.

In 2025, they bowled 270 balls of leg-spin, or 110 more than anyone else, earning them a total of 22 wickets, 16.31, with unsung hero Sowter serving as the side’s second leggie.

After Spencer Johnson’s two previous stints in 2018, Sam Curran and Jason Behrendorff have both contributed to the Invincibles’ 33 powerplay wickets since 2023. All three have contributed to the team’s varied attack.

They also took a wicket every 7.3 deliveries, which was comfortably the best of any side prior to the final, having not only had the second lowest runs-per-ball conceded at the death in the previous three years, but they also had the second-lowest runs-per-ball conceded at the death.

With 102 sixes in the final 25 balls of an innings since The Hundred’s inception, they typically explode late in their innings. This is a rare exception in the final against Trent Rockets this year.

However, some qualities of a great team cannot be quantified by statistics.

All year long, the grit and resolve to fight for every ball have been present.

Opening pitcher Tawanda Muyeye’s statement earlier this week that playing for the Invincibles “feels like playing for the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s” was a reflection of the squad’s talent.

The Invincibles have tried to get themselves moving by imagining they have been let down by opponents at times this season, which has also been a bit like Michael Jordan.

Despite the fact that the game was almost won, Tom Curran called Birmingham Phoenix’s Liam Livingstone, a long-time friend of his, a “fat slob,” while a number of Invincibles players, including Ferreira, were only too happy to engage in a fiery verbal exchange with London Spirit’s Jamie Overton recently.

It’s a team that’s willing to battle and seek out each other. They find it enjoyable. And it has led to three straight titles.

New owners and fresh ideas are brought into The Hundred as a result of new investment, with shareholders taking over the company’s operations starting October 1st.

According to reports, this could be the 100-ball format’s final year, with the 2026 edition becoming a T20 competition to compete against other franchise leagues around the world.

The broadcast agreement between Sky and the England and Wales Cricket Board expires at the end of the 2028-year season, but the tournament may experience a reboot before then, which might include the squads.

Saqib Mahmood, the fast bowler for the Invincibles, told BBC Two, “With what is going on next year, there has been discussion in the group that it might be our last game playing against each other.”

“It’s special to win it with this group, knowing what will happen.”

This could be the end of this Invincibles side, with talk of a new auction system to replace the draft and teams only being able to retain a certain number of players.

The changes will not only affect them, but also their team.

The suggestion is that only one overseas player will be retained by the sides, which would mean Northern Superchargers, the reigning champions of women’s football, would have to choose between, for instance, Annabel Sutherland and Phoebe Litchfield.

How will young Invincibles fans react if their team struggles after having a formidable side torn apart next year? The goal is to create a more level playing field.