The most difficult thing in the shortest format is to maintain consistency. It is a game of such small margins that one or two mistakes can cost you the game. An opposition player can have a great day and he can take the game away in a matter of 3-4 overs. Many T20 leagues are going around the world but only a few franchises or teams have managed to maintain consistency in their respective leagues.
Defending a title in T20 cricket is extremely difficult and it hasn’t been done in the T20 World Cup up until now. There are a few franchises who have managed to defend their title in their leagues, so, let’s have a look at five teams to win back-to-back T20 league titles.
5. Chennai Super Kings – 2010, 2011
MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings were the first team to defend their title successfully in the Indian Premier League. Chennai Super Kings made the final in the inaugural season of the IPL but didn’t lift the trophy. In the third IPL season, Chennai Super Kings won their first IPL and backed it up with another title in the following season.
One of the reasons for their consistency was the consistency in the team selection. Most of the players were retained and CSK had a fixed core group of 5-6 players. They almost managed to repeat this feat as they won the IPL in 2018 and almost won in 2019 but eventually lost by one run. CSK is one of the most consistent sides in the IPL and very first team to win back to back title in T20 Leagues.
4. Perth Scorchers – 2013, 2014
Perth Scorchers became the first team in the Big Bash League to win back-to-back titles in 2013-14 and 2014-15. Scorchers have been a consistent side in the Big Bash League as they reached the Final once again in the recently concluded BBL season.
Scorchers is a team that relies on its bowling to win games. Over the years they have had a strong bowling line up which always helps in the shortest format. T20 cricket is not all about big hits and big totals but wicket-taking bowlers create a huge difference in the game. They had the likes of Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter Nile, Joel Paris in these two seasons along with the spin of Ashton Agar and Michael Beer. Perth Scorchers will always be the team to beat in the BBL.
3. Trinbago Knight Riders – 2017, 2018
Trinbago Knight Riders have achieved this feat for the first time in the Caribbean Premier League as they won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018. The reason for their win is pretty similar to Chennai Super Kings as they had a strong core which was maintained for both seasons.
They had the likes of Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine, Darren Bravo, and Colin Munro who are great T20 players. They had the likes of Hashim Amla, Brendon McCullum to support this core. It was a great T20 team that managed to win back-to-back titles.
2. Mumbai Indians – 2019, 2020
Mumbai Indians have been the most consistent side in the history of the IPL. They won their first title in IPL 2013 and since then they have won five titles. They won in 2019 and managed to defend their title for the first time in IPL 2020. Again, maintaining a similar core group has helped the five-time champions.
MI is a team that does a lot of work behind the scenes which helps the team perform well on the field. They dominated the last season at a different level and with this team they might win it three times in a row.
1. Sydney Sixers – 2019, 2020
Sydney Sixers who won the recently concluded Big Bash League are the new entrant in this list. They won the BBL last year and have defended their title successfully this year. They have a strong opening combination with Josh Phillippe and James Vince.
In 2019 they had Tom Curran who fits in the seam bowling all-rounder role and this time they had Dan Christian who did that job better than anyone else. They have some good bowlers to support their batsmen which has resulted in these back-to-back titles.
