No Mercy:The Battle Of Badminton

The No Mercy Badminton Club is one of the few relaxing places that the research scholars of the Department of Physics—and a few from the Department of Mathematics—really rely on, for obvious reasons: they do research, and it’s not a normal day when we get a result that actually works (exceptions are rightfully acknowledged).

Earlier, the club had no specific name of its own. Some enthusiast members of the two departments found a way out and carved a badminton court in a space that nobody thought would work—but it worked. There were regular players, and some came just to watch them play—later joining in after getting inspired. Equal numbers of male and female members joined the play; sometimes it was a men’s (or women’s) double, sometimes mixed—the game just went on.

Pilot Project of No Mercy

In 2019, a new trend came to light. In a men’s double format, if all the players were equal in gameplay strength and style, just to make it more fun and enjoyable, they would challenge each other before the match started: "Let’s play like there’s no mercy left, we will smash you out." The court turned into a fun battlefield where not just the playing four, but everyone watching the game enjoyed the moment. Of course, it’s a game, so someone has to win, but after a ‘No Mercy’ game, both parties smile, the audience cheers, and hence, it’s a win for all.

In 2021, inspired by this format, we formally named the club the ‘No Mercy Badminton Club’. However, we needed a new trend to make it more fun and different from the rest. Hence, in January 2023, a test tournament was held with two teams, using regular rules and regulations. We each contributed Rs. 30 for refreshments and played for our respective teams.

Official poster of 1st Edition

Then, in December 2023, we organized the first ‘No Mercy – The Battle of Badminton’ with some exceptional rules for the teams. Yes, the matches were run with official badminton rules, but the difference was in the strategy a team had to make to ultimately win the championship. Players were divided into four teams, and all teams were equal in strength. Teams were named after heroes from Assam History. All teams played against the others in three match formats: The Beginning of Rivalry (TBR), You Can’t See Me (YCSM), and a No Mercy. TBR wins you 1 point, YCSM wins you another 1 point, and No Mercy brings 2 points. So, to win over a team, you need to win at least two of the three matches.

However, in doing so, you need to employ all your players in such a way that no pairs are repeated in two games. You also need to keep in mind that every player on your team has to get a minimum of two matches in the entire tournament. So, you cannot just use your strong player every time to win scores. Almost everybody knew how the other players performed on the court but had to predict which team would send whom to play against them. The fun part was that all four teams were ‘sponsored’ by our alumni members from the departments, so the games became a matter of serious pride. The matches were intense and full of calculations and strategies. Creative sledging was the main attraction of each match to distract the rival team, making it even more interesting. Apart from the matches, refreshments were arranged with the help of alumni funding.

The Trophy

Part of the exercise, the Battle of Badminton was extended to an ‘International version’—where research scholars from other departments also took part. This was held in the Chemical Sciences department, and the alumni of CS actively contributed to it.

In December 2024, the tournament gained more attention and popularity. The organizers invited faculty members for an inaugural match, where Prof. P. Nath, Prof. N. S. Bhattacharyya, and Dr. R. Sarmah took part. In this edition, female members equally joined the tournament. The No Mercy match had a new addition to the rules: teams could now ‘challenge’ the other team. This challenge mode had both costs and benefits for the teams.

No Mercy: International Edition

As a result of the success of the 2nd edition of the No Mercy tournament, and with the enthusiasm of all the female members, a No Mercy – Women’s Edition was held in January 2025, where everything was done by them. From arranging refreshments to keeping track of team scores, being the match referees to hosting the event—they did everything. Even the team owners were chosen by them. The inaugural match was attended by Dr. M. M. Devi.  We believe, the whole tournament was an absolute win in terms of inclusivity and equality.

Core organisers: No Mercy Women's Edition

For the first time ever, in 3rd edition of No Mercy tournament, players were alloted in teams via auction, where teams were permitted to spend a maximum of 200 eV (yes, energy units). A set of new rules was introduced for more polished and engaging strategies. A new tournament is also on the list, ‘The Battle of Kingdoms’, as announced in the 3rd edition.

For a third person, this is just a badminton tournament. For us, it is both chess and badminton, requiring both mental calculations and physical strength. Needless to say, regarding the bond each member has for one another, a strong alumni network is again shielding us from any possible difficulties. Nonetheless, ultimately it is all of us, winning back every bit of our monotonous lives in a seemingly easier way, but ‘in style’.

Official website: Click here to visit NMBC website