Invincibles' chance to join T20 cricket's hat-trick heroes

On Sunday, Oval Invincibles will be eyeing their third consecutive Men's Hundred title when they face Trent Rockets, the winners of 2022 edition. Let's have a look at the teams who have won three or more consecutive tournaments in men's T20s before.

Victoria

2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08

Victoria won the inaugural season of the Australian T20 competition in 2005-06, beating New South Wales with opener Brad Hodge scoring the tournament's first century. In the next season, they won all three league matches (one was washed out) to top the table and then defended 160 against Tasmania in the final, with Mick Lewis taking four wickets to seal consecutive titles. In 2007-08, Victoria suffered their first ever defeat to Western Australia in the league stage but bounced back with three straight wins before beating the same opponent in the final to complete a hat-trick of titles, the first team to do so in T20s.

Sialkot Stallions

in 2006, 2006-07, 2008-09, 2009, 2009-10

After a poor start in the inaugural Pakistan National T20 Cup, Sialkot Stallions bounced back with six straight league wins in 2006 followed by knockout victories over Faisalabad Wolves to claim their maiden title. In 2006-07, they extended their streak with four more wins and beat Karachi Dolphins by 14 runs in the final for back-to-back trophies. The 2008-09 season saw them stretch their winning streak to 16 games, capped by a seven-wicket victory in the final to complete a hat-trick of titles.

In 2009, the Stallions became the only team to win a domestic T20 competition four successive times. Their success against Lahore Lions in the final meant they had won 20 consecutive games. In 2009-10, they added a fifth straight title with a one-sided final win over Faisalabad Wolves, extending their winning streak to 24 matches, a record that still stands. The team was led by Imran Nazir and Shoaib Malik during this golden run.

Wayamba

in 2008, 2009, 2010

Wayamba won three consecutive titles in the Sri Lanka Domestic T20 Cup from 2008 to 2010 under Jehan Mubarak. In 2008, after losing once to Ruhuna in the league stage, they turned the tables in the final with a 31-run win to claim their first trophy. In 2009, Wayamba defended their trophy by beating Basnahira South in the final by five wickets, the same side that had defeated them in the league. In 2010, they went unbeaten through the league stage before easing past Basnahira South by nine wickets in the semi-final and winning the final, against Ruhuna, by a massive 95 runs to complete a hat-trick of titles.

Trinidad & Tobago

in 2011, 2012, 2013

Trinidad & Tobago, the most successful team in the Caribbean T20 Cup, won the last three editions under Denesh Ramdin. In 2011, they went unbeaten, sealing the title with a final win against Hampshire. In 2012, despite a league defeat to Windward Islands, they bounced back to dominate both knockout games and retain the trophy. In the final edition in 2013, played in a round-robin format, T&T again finished unbeaten in the league, topped the table and qualified directly for the final where they defeated Guyana by nine wickets to claim a hat-trick of titles.

Titans

2015, 2016, 2017

Titans dominated South Africa's domestic T20 circuit by winning three consecutive titles under Albie Morkel, topping the table in each of those three seasons (2015 to 2017). In 2015, they defeated Dolphins to claim their fourth T20 title, having previously won in 2005, 2008 and 2012. In 2016, they clinched the title by edging past Warriors by just six runs. In 2017, once again facing Dolphins in the summit clash, Titans completed the hat-trick with a commanding seven-wicket victory.

Jaffna Kings

2020, 2021, 2022

Jaffna Kings (known as Jaffna Stallions in 2020) became the first and only franchise to win the first three editions of the Lanka Premier League, under Thisara Perera. In the inaugural 2020 season, they beat Dambulla Viiking in the semi-finals and outplayed Galle Gladiators in the final. In 2021, renamed as Jaffna Kings, they topped the table and once again defeated Gladiators in the final for back-to-back trophies. The 2022 season saw them finish second on the table before overcoming Gladiators in the semi-finals and Colombo Stars by two wickets in a thrilling final, thereby becoming only the second team after Victoria to win the first three editions of a men's T20 tournament.

*Comilla Victorians also won three consecutive BPL titles in 2019, 2022 & 2023 but didn't participate in the 2019-20 edition of the tournament which was won by Rajshahi Royals.