The first 3-years of the Indian Premier League (IPL) followed the conventional route of picking the 2-teams for the finals. The side that completed first took on the 4th-placed side in one semi-final while the 2nd and 3rd-placed sides locked horns in another semi-final.
The format of performing the semi-finals to reach the finals became a point of conversation among former cricketers, media, and fans likewise. The dispute that this format was tricky happened in 2009 when Delhi Daredevils (as the Delhi franchise was named then) completed at the top of the league standings quite easily but lost the semi-finals.
The BCCI is resolute that there should be some motivation for the teams to finish in the top 2 because they are performing as many as 14 games in the league phase.
IPL Playoff format introduced in 2011
The format of the IPL elimination round was modified in 2011, and it was called the Play-offs. The teams that compete in the top 2 play each other. The winner goes through to the final while the loser does not get removed. They get another possibility to enter the final by performing the winner of the assassin featuring 3rd and 4th-placed teams.
While it was helpful for teams that completed at the top, is it unfair to the 3rd and 4th position teams in the points table?
IPL Playoff record to date
The report of the Playoffs format, so far, indicates that it is unfair on teams finishing 3rd and 4th.
Since 2011, when the playoff format came into subsistence, only one team that did not complete in the top 2 has gone on to victory the trophy. Sunrisers Hyderabad(SRH) victory the IPL in 2016 when their skipper David Warner had a freak season with the bat.
Why this format is not decent
Even though there is a motivation for teams to complete well in the league stages, it becomes almost hopeless for teams that finish 3rd and 4th to win 3 matches in a row to win the title.
Some people argue that the team that performs well through the one-and-a-half months cannot be removed by just having one bad day.
The argument would be that the teams that complete 3rd and 4th have not had a bad competition either. Occasionally, only Net Run Rate separates the top 4 sides. So, the playoffs are unfair to those teams!
If skilled and many fans belives that semi-finals are not the right way to go, rather perform the finals directly between teams that complete at the top of the points table. This indirect route of playoffs does have its difficulty.