Have Sri Lanka been knocked out of ODI World Cup 2023 after massive defeat to India?

Sri Lanka have almost been eliminated from the race to the 2023 World Cup semifinals after the massive defeat against India. The island nation suffered an embarrassing 302-run defeat at the hands of the home side at the Wankhede Stadium today (November 2).

Skipper Kusal Mendis opted to field first on a batting paradise in Mumbai. The decision backfired as India scored 357/8 in 50 overs. Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli slammed a half-ton each for the Men in Blue.

Chasing 358, the island nation lost wickets at regular intervals and only managed 55 runs. Mohammed Shami picked up five wickets in five overs, while Mohammed Siraj bagged three wickets. Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja took a wicket each for the Indian side.

Courtesy of this loss, Sri Lanka's net run rate has reduced to -1.162 now. The Islanders have almost been eliminated from the tournament, but they still have a mathematical chance of qualifying for the semifinals.

How can Sri Lanka still qualify for the 2023 World Cup semifinals after defeat against India?

The Islanders have two more matches remaining in the league stage of the 2023 World Cup. They will play against Bangladesh at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday (November 6), which will be followed by a clash against New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday (November 9).

Kusal Mendis' men will have to register big wins in those two matches. If they win the two matches, they will finish with eight points. Next, they will have to hope that Australia lose all their matches and New Zealand lose to Pakistan. Also, Afghanistan lose against South Africa and Netherlands.

In that scenario, all five teams will have eight points each, and the two teams with the best net run rate will advance to the next round. Sri Lanka will have to improve their net run rate quickly to stay alive in the tournament.