Key takeaways
- Net run rate is a team's runs per over scored across a competition minus its runs per over conceded.
- If a team is bowled out before its overs are up, the ICC counts its full quota of overs, not the overs actually faced.
- A team that chases a target down early is credited only with the overs it actually used.
- Balls are sixths of an over: 16.2 overs means 16 overs and 2 balls, which is 16.333 overs for the calculation.
- Only matches with a result count, and matches decided by DLS use the par or target scores set out in the playing conditions.
When teams finish a group stage level on points, the table can come down to a single decimal: net run rate, or NRR. It looks mysterious on a points table, but it is two averages and a subtraction. The ICC's October 2026 T20I playing conditions define it, and this guide works through it with numbers.
The definition
Clause 16.10 of the ICC's T20I playing conditions says a team's net run rate is calculated by deducting the average runs per over scored against that team throughout the competition from the average runs per over scored by it.
NRR = (total runs scored ÷ total overs faced) − (total runs conceded ÷ total overs bowled)
The totals are across the whole competition, not an average of each match's run rates.
The two adjustments
- All out means full overs. If a team is bowled out before its full quota of overs, the calculation uses the full quota it was entitled to, not the overs it lasted.
- A successful chase uses actual overs. A team that reaches its target early is credited only with the overs it faced. Wikipedia's example: a side chasing successfully off 30.5 overs has only 30.833 overs added to its seasonal tally.
Converting balls to overs
Cricket writes overs as "overs.balls", but a ball is one sixth of an over, as Wikipedia's article points out, not a tenth.
| Written | Means | For NRR |
|---|---|---|
| 16.2 | 16 overs, 2 balls | 16.333 overs |
| 17.4 | 17 overs, 4 balls | 17.667 overs |
| 30.5 | 30 overs, 5 balls | 30.833 overs |
Treating 16.2 as sixteen and two tenths is an easy mistake, and it changes the answer.
A worked example
Team X plays two T20 matches:
| Match | Team X batting | Opponent batting | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 180/5 in 20 overs | Y 150/9 in 20 overs | X won by 30 runs |
| 2 | 140 all out in 17.4 overs | Z 141/4 in 16.2 overs | Z won by 6 wickets |
Runs and overs for X:
- Scored: 180 + 140 = 320 runs. Overs faced: 20 + 20 = 40, because X was all out in match 2 and is charged the full 20.
- Conceded: 150 + 141 = 291 runs. Overs bowled: 20 + 16.333 = 36.333, because Z chased successfully and is credited with its actual overs.
NRR: 320 ÷ 40 = 8.000, minus 291 ÷ 36.333 = 8.009, gives −0.009.
X won one match by 30 runs, lost the other by six wickets, and still has a slightly negative NRR. Had match 2 wrongly used X's actual 17.667 overs, its NRR would have come out at about +0.486, which shows how much the all-out rule matters.
When NRR decides positions
The T20I playing conditions give the order for teams level on points in a league: first the most wins, then the most wins against the other teams level, and only then the highest net run rate. In those conditions a win earns 2 points and a tie, no result or abandonment 1, so NRR only matters once wins and head-to-head results have failed to separate the teams.
Rain, DLS and no results
Only matches with a result count, and a no result has no run rate. When the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method decides a match, the conditions substitute adjusted figures:
- If the match is abandoned with a DLS result, the team batting first is credited with the second team's par score off the same overs the second team faced.
- If DLS was applied earlier and the match was completed, the team batting first is credited with one run less than the target, off the overs the second team was allotted.
The Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method explains par scores and targets.
The limits of NRR
Wikipedia notes common criticisms: NRR is hard to understand, and because it measures scoring speed rather than wickets, ranking by NRR does not rank teams by their margins of victory. A side that wins narrowly by wickets after a slow chase can lose ground to one that thrashes weak opposition.
Cricket stats explained covers the individual equivalents, such as strike rate and economy, and how cricket scoring works the notation behind them. Following one player's numbers through a season is part of Cricket Sport Career Simulator, one of our sports career games, whose store screenshots show live match stats.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate net run rate?
What happens to net run rate if a team is all out?
How do you convert overs and balls for run rate?
Do washed-out matches count in net run rate?
Sources
- ICC Men's T20I Playing Conditions, October 2026 (clause 16.10) (opens in a new tab)International Cricket Council — accessed
- Net run rate (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia — accessed
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