The Hundred 2025: Oval Invincibles three-peat – how they did it and why their era could be ending

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.