Cricket Rules & Queries
How is Net Run Rate (NRR) calculated in cricket?
Net run rate is the runs a team scores per over across a tournament minus the runs it concedes per over. Formula, a worked example from three T20 matches, and the all-out and DLS exceptions.
By CricRadio Editorial
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Net run rate (NRR) is a team’s average runs scored per over across a tournament minus the average runs it has conceded per over. It is calculated on the totals for the whole competition, not by averaging each match’s NRR, and it is the usual tie-breaker when teams finish level on points.
Formula
NRR = (total runs scored ÷ total overs faced) − (total runs conceded ÷ total overs bowled)
Overs are converted to decimal balls before dividing: 18.3 overs means 18 overs and 3 balls, which is 18.5 overs, not 18.3.
If a team is bowled out, the full quota of overs is used (20 in a T20, 50 in an ODI), not the overs it actually faced.
The run rate "for" and "against" are each worked out from tournament totals, then subtracted.
Worked example
A team has played three T20 matches. In Match 1 the opposition was all out in 17.4 overs, so their innings counts as 20 overs. In Match 2 the team chased in 18.3 overs, and in Match 3 the team was all out facing 18.3 overs, which counts as 20.
| Match | Runs scored | Overs faced | Runs conceded | Overs bowled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match 1 | 180/4 | 20.0 | 150 all out | 20.0 (all out in 17.4) |
| Match 2 | 165/7 | 20.0 | 168/5 | 18.3 (= 18.5) |
| Match 3 | 175 all out | 20.0 (all out in 18.3) | 162/9 | 20.0 |
| Total | 520 | 60.0 | 480 | 58.5 |
Run rate for: 520 ÷ 60.0 = 8.667
Run rate against: 480 ÷ 58.5 = 8.205
NRR = 8.667 − 8.205 = +0.462
Note how Match 3 helps despite the team being bowled out: the run rate uses 20 overs, but the opposition’s 162 runs are divided by the 20 overs actually bowled.
Exceptions and edge cases
All out: the full quota of overs is used for the side that was bowled out, even if it happened in the last over.
DLS-affected matches: the chasing side’s innings is counted as the revised target minus one run from the revised number of overs; the side batting first is credited with that same target, not its actual score. Check the tournament playing conditions, as the exact treatment is published there.
No result or abandoned: the match is excluded from both teams’ NRR entirely.
Super over: runs and balls from a super over are not included; the tied match counts as a tie in the NRR calculation.
Ties on points: most competitions use most wins first, then NRR, then head-to-head. The order is set in each competition’s playing conditions.
Net run rate rewards winning quickly and losing slowly. A team that chases down a small total in 12 overs can gain more than a team that wins by 10 runs.
— CricRadio Editorial
Sources and last reviewed
ICC Men’s and Women’s playing conditions (net run rate and points-table tie-breakers are in the tournament appendices)
MCC Laws of Cricket (overs, balls and what counts as an all-out innings)
Last reviewed: 29 October 2026. Playing conditions are reviewed by the ICC each season and individual tournaments can publish their own. Re-check the sources above before relying on this page for a specific competition.
Related
Live points tables for current series — see NRR applied to real standings
How does the DLS method work? — the revised-target rule that feeds into NRR
