Football matches can display a sense of frenzy as the players’ internal clocks wind down, the desirable result just another fivesecond movement away. It can be ugly or beautiful but because a goal is not defined by a function of time, anything is possible (even if not probable). But that was missing as Bengaluru FC vs Pune City FC wound down to a 1-1 draw last week. And that’s probably down to the Indian Super League ’s format. Friday’s was a top-of-the-table clash fortuitously scheduled as a big bang start to the weekend.Instead it was a tactical draw with the knockout phase — named so unimaginatively as the playoffs — in mind. The concept of playoffs ruin the advantages of a league system. It has no place if the objective is to find the best team that performs consistently. If Manchester United were playing Manchester City or Atletico Madrid facing Barcelona five points off the lead with three games remaining, that’d be a match to watch. Managers in the spotlight, the players willing to stake it all. So, if there was ‘more’ to be taken — a season-defining three points maybe, Pune would have had to go all out after BFC scored in the 75th minute. Miku would have had a hero’s night out, and Sarthak Golui would have been the proverbial ‘nearlyman’.And Bengaluru would have played Erik Paartalu (though the team was quite close to their starting 11 anyways). The missed calls — far too many this season — would have caused great anger. The playoffs work in a system like the NBA. It’s got 30 teams divided into two conferences and the two are kept apart except for few times in the season.Each conference team does not play all the teams in the other. The playoffs themselves are a best of seven, reducing the influence of luck. Even then, fans argue that two great teams from the tougher conference in any given season cannot fight it out for the NBA title even if they have superior season records because of the playoffs. The Cavaliers have been able to make the finals thanks to LeBron James and despite a consistent season for three years now. But it still works because of the sheer size of the league. The Indian Premier League adopted it and because there was no one annoyed by it - except the players themselves maybe - their knockout system, made more complicated than necessary at that, worked for the league.And the ISL followed trying to combine the excitement of two different formats in football. The thrill of being an excellent team over a season versus the mental fortitude to take whatever happens in 90, or 180, minutes and churn out a result.This despite scheduling being a problem for most teams as footballers are not used to playing as many games as ISL or even I-League teams do in a season so short (with Asian commitments for some clubs added on top). And considering that refereeing decisions have played a part when they are supposed to ensure the game doesn’t deviate from the rulebook, it’s tempting the game of football to throw out an unlikely champion.That Kerala Blasters can still win the title - despite being 10 points off the top of the table with two games to go - because they’re only a few tough points and lucky results away from finishing top four is incredible. This is a team that’s fired a manager in half-way into a five-month season. That surprisingly let go their best striker. It happened to Mumbai FC last season. It could happen to BFC — the most consistent, or even Pune, great contenders. The controversies of the 2015 ‘final’ between Goa and Chennai could have been avoided.Playing an ‘extended’ five-month football season followed by a profitable ‘playoffs’ take away from what is most important in a league system. And to test talent and luck at the same time, there’s still the Federation Cup. And if this is a negotiable change, maybe it’s time to have a relegation battle as well.