Net run rate explained, with a calculator

Net run rate is the runs a team scores per over minus the runs it concedes per over, added up across a tournament. Overs count in sixes, so 16.2 is 16 overs and 2 balls, and a team bowled out is charged its full quota of overs.

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Useful for office tournaments and tournament organisers.

Try it here

Change the innings. Watch the maths make sense.

Your innings · 20-over match
Your net run rate+0.500
20 complete overs + 0 balls = 120 balls. Overs count in sixes.
The working, as you change it

Scoring rate

160 runs ÷ 120 balls × 6
8.00

Conceding rate

150 runs ÷ 120 balls × 6
7.50
Net run rate+0.5008.00 - 7.50 runs per over

Try reducing the overs faced. The same runs in fewer balls mean a faster scoring rate. Then toggle all out to see the exception.

One 20-over match. Your opponent scored 150 from 20 overs.

5 points

In short

  • Two rates, one differenceRuns scored per over, minus runs conceded per over, is the net run rate.
  • Overs count in sixes16.2 overs is 16 overs and 2 balls, so convert to balls before dividing.
  • All out means full oversA team bowled out is charged its full quota of overs, so a collapse never helps its rate.
  • Add up, then divideTotal the runs and overs across the tournament first. Never average each match's rate.
  • Tables rank by itCricket tables here rank by points, then net run rate, then runs scored.
See the calculation

Two rates, one difference

= (total runs scored ÷ total overs faced) - (total runs conceded ÷ total overs bowled).

The example above starts with 160 runs from 20 overs against 150 from 20. That is 8.00 - 7.50 = +0.50. Choose Quick chase to see what changes when you reach 151 in 16.2 overs.

Know the exceptions

The two details that change the answer

  1. Six balls make an over

    16.2 means 16 overs and 2 balls: 98 balls, not 16.2 decimal overs. Convert to balls first, then calculate runs ÷ balls × 6. Move the overs slider one ball at a time to see the notation change.

  2. All out uses the full quota

    Choose All out above. A team bowled out for 120 in 16.2 overs of a 20-over game counts as 120 ÷ 20 = 6.00, rather than 7.35. Toggle the checkbox to compare both calculations.

Put it together

Across a whole tournament

Add the runs and overs across innings first, then calculate the two rates. Replace every all-out innings with its full quota before adding. Do not average individual match NRRs: a short game would get the same weight as a full one.

Use the calculator below for your own totals. Rain-affected matches can have special competition rules; use the adjusted figures your competition specifies.

Why it works this way

Does the app use NRR for league standings? Yes. Score My Match ranks cricket teams by points, then net run rate, then runs scored, counting an all-out innings as its full quota of overs. The calculator below is for checking a figure by hand or working out what a team needs.

Enter the runs and overs scored and conceded for one match, or enter tournament aggregates after replacing every all-out innings with its full quota. Use the checkboxes only when the values describe a single innings. The result updates when you choose Calculate NRR.

Net run rate+2.400

Need to know

Questions people ask

About net run rate explained.

Can net run rate be negative?

Yes. A negative net run rate means a team concedes runs faster than it scores them over the tournament so far.

Why is an all-out team charged the full overs?

So that being bowled out cheaply can never improve a rate. A team all out for 120 in 16 overs of a 20-over game counts as 120 in 20 overs.

Is net run rate averaged across games?

No. Total runs and total overs are added up first and divided once, so a short game does not count as much as a full one.

Try it on your next match

Calculate your net run rate

Use your own match totals or tournament aggregates in the full calculator.

Calculate your net run rate