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The 14th Hockey India senior National men's hockey championship has been marred by a series of lopsided matches, raising concerns about the format of the tournament. Tamil Nadu's massive 43-0 victory over Andaman and Nicobar in a Pool-C tie exemplified this issue.The one-sided nature of the match was evident from the outset, as Tamil Nadu scored 13 goals in the first quarter alone. The second quarter saw a further 12 goals, followed by 10 in the third and 8 in the fourth. Tamil Nadu's Sundarapandi emerged as the star of the match, scoring nine goals.This result came on the heels of several other one-sided matches in the tournament. Maharashtra thrashed Gujarat 30-0, Manipur crushed Bihar 19-1, and Madhya Pradesh blanked Andaman and Nicobar 29-0.The lopsided scores have raised questions about the need to re-examine the tournament format. Critics argue that the current system allows weaker teams to be humiliated, which is detrimental to the development of the sport.One possible solution is to introduce a tiered system, where teams are divided into different divisions based on their strength. This would ensure that teams are competing against opponents of a similar level, reducing the likelihood of such lopsided results.Another option is to implement a mercy rule, which would stop the match if one team gains a significant lead. This would prevent teams from being subjected to excessive punishment.The Hockey India Federation (HIF) has acknowledged the concerns and is considering changes to the tournament format. A decision is expected to be made before the next edition of the championship.