In a bid to woo a newer audience to the stadiums, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) invented a new format — The Hundred. Instead of the traditional T20 format, which has 120 balls per innings, the Hundred consists of 100 balls per innings.
The game’s shorter version means the teams are always on their toes to perform at their best. And the fans are guaranteed to witness some remarkable performances in the Hundred.
So far, the league has delivered cracker seasons one after another, with all teams vying for the trophy. Here are the winners of the Men’s Hundred competition from 2021 to date.
The Hundred Men’s Competition Winners: Edition by Edition
| Edition | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Southern Brave | Birmingham Phoenix |
| 2022 | Trent Rockets | Manchester Originals |
| 2023 | Oval Invincibles | Manchester Originals |
2021 | Southern Brave
The inaugural edition took place in 2021, after getting postponed by a year due to Covid-19 restrictions. Nonetheless, all teams had the services of some of the heavyweights of T20 cricket.
The Southern Brave and Birmingham Phoenix squared off in the inaugural final. After being asked to bat first, the Brave put up 168 runs on the board, thanks to Paul Stirling’s 61 off 36 and Ross Whiteley’s (44 off 19) late charge.
In response, the Phoenix had a shaky start, losing their openers in 20 balls. Their middle-order batters tried to build partnerships, but they couldn’t recover from the early loss, losing the match by 32 runs. With that, the Southern Brave were crowned champions of the inaugural Hundred season.
2022 | Trent Rockets
In the second season, the Manchester Originals and Trent Rockets locked horns in the summit clash. Batting first, the Originals posted a decent total of 120 runs in the allotted balls.
The Rockets’ chase turned out to be challenging as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. However, their lower-order batters held their nerves and took their team over the ropes by 2 wickets.
The Trent Rockets close win over the Manchester Originals helped them clinch their maiden Hundred title.
2023 | Oval Invincibles
Manchester Originals, runner-ups of the second edition, made it to their successive final, while Oval Invincibles marked their first appearance.
After being invited to bat first, the Invincibles had a disastrous start, and at one point they were reeling at 34/5. However, renowned all-rounders James Neesham (57*) and Tom Curran (67*) took matters into their own hands, helping their side post 161 runs.
The Originals’ bowler’s failure to wrap up the Invincibles for a paltry score proved costly for them. Their batters couldn’t chase down the target and lost the match by 14 runs.
The Originals’ consecutive final loss paved the way for the Oval Invincibles to lay their hands on the trophy.
