ICC World Cup 2019: Virat Kohli feels IPL-style playoffs instead of semi-finals can be an option
India finished on top of the points table with 15 points but were ousted from the tournament after losing the semi-final to New Zealand. This was only the second loss Team India suffered in the World Cup after winning 7 matches.
India captain Virat Kohli believed an IPL-like playoff instead of knockouts can be the way forward in the future editions of ICC World Cup. Kohli’s comments came after India were knocked out of the World Cup after suffering a heart-breaking 18-run defeat to New Zealand in the first semi-final on Wednesday at Manchester. Stressing that 40-45 minutes of bad cricket costed them the World Cup, Kohli said an IPL-style playoff can be considered to give more importance to the table toppers of the group stage.
“Who knows in future. Maybe. If topping the table means anything. I think these things can come into consideration, looking at the magnitude of this tournament. That is a really valid point. You never know when that is going to be implemented,” Kohli said at the post-match conference.
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India finished on top of the points table with 15 points but were ousted from the tournament after losing the semi-final to New Zealand. This was only the second loss Team India suffered in the World Cup after winning 7 matches. If there was a playoff instead of the semi-finals then India - the top-ranked team- would have had another bite at the cherry.
What is a playoff?
In a playoff format the top two ranked teams face each other in the Qualifier 1. The winner advances to the final directly, while loser, instead of getting knocked out get another opportunity to reach the finals. They face the winner of the third and fourth-ranked teams in Qualifier 2.This format was first implemented in IPL 2011 to keep give more importance to teams finishing on top of the table after a long league stage.
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“But I think that’s the challenge and different kind of fun of these games as well that you have to be precise. It doesn’t matter what you have done before that. It’s a fresh day, fresh start, and if you are not good enough, you go home. So you have to accept that, as I said. It’s a different challenge for all the teams to turn up on that day and be absolutely at the top of their game and whoever does that they get the result, as you saw today,” Kohli said.
