Net Run Rate (NRR) Calculator
Net Run Rate (NRR) Calculator
Net run rate as the ICC defines it: runs per over scored across the whole group, less runs per over conceded across the whole group. Aggregated, not averaged — and a side bowled out counts as having faced its full quota of overs, which is the rule that decides qualification.
Net run rate over a whole group
Runs per over, net678 runs from 147.33 overs faced; 466 conceded from 150 overs bowled
Formula, as the playing conditions state it
- the definition
- ICC Men’s ODI Playing Conditions clause 16.10.2 begins “a team’s net run rate is calculated by deducting from the average runs per over scored by that team”; the Waikato Valley Cricket Association’s Chairman’s Trophy rule 1(b) completes the same sentence with “the average runs per over scored against that team throughout the competition”
- throughout the competition
- the totals are summed across the whole group first and divided once. Averaging each match’s own net run rate gives a different answer, and the two differ most when the matches were of different lengths
- the full-quota rule
- ICC clause 16.10.2: where a side is all out inside its quota, “the calculation of its net run rate shall be based on the full quota of overs to which it would have been entitled”. The Chairman’s Trophy rule 1(b) adds “and not on the number of overs in which it was dismissed”
- no result, no entry
- clause 16.10.2 counts only matches in which a result was achieved. An abandoned match with no result does not enter the calculation at all, so it neither helps nor harms
- a DLS result
- where a match is abandoned but a result is reached under Duckworth–Lewis–Stern, clause 16.10.2 credits the side batting first with the chasing side’s par score at the moment of abandonment, over the number of overs the chasing side faced. Those figures come from the official DLS software, not from this page
- true decimals only
- every overs figure here is a real number of overs. 147 overs and 2 balls is 147.333. Entering 147.2 understates the denominator and flatters the net run rate
Worked example
678 runs from 147.33 overs faced; 466 conceded from 150 overs bowled
These are the figures printed in the worked example in the South Australian Associated Schools Twenty20 playing conditions, which works South Africa's 1999 World Cup group net run rate
Run rate for = 678 ÷ 147.33 = 4.602 runs per over
Run rate against = 466 ÷ 150 = 3.107 runs per over. The 150 is five matches at the full fifty-over quota, counting every side bowled out as having faced its full quota
Net run rate = 4.602 − 3.107 = +1.495, which reproduces the figure printed in that document exactly
Double every input and nothing moves: 1,356 runs from 294.66 overs against 932 from 300 overs is +1.495 again
Halve the overs faced and the first term doubles: 678 ÷ 73.665 = 9.204, so the net run rate becomes +6.097
At zero overs faced the page returns no figure, because a run rate over no overs does not exist
The full-quota rule, on one constructed match
| Runs | Overs actually used | Overs counted | Run rate against | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Correct — ICC clause 16.10.2 | 120 | 28 overs 3 balls (28.5) | 50 | 2.400 |
| Wrong — using the overs actually bowled | 120 | 28 overs 3 balls (28.5) | 28.5 | 4.211 |
Aggregating is not averaging, and the gap runs both ways
| Constructed group | Whole-group aggregate | Average of per-match NRRs | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two matches of unequal length: 300 from 50 against 250 from 50, then 100 from 20 against 60 from 20 | +1.286 | +1.500 | aggregate 0.214 LOWER |
| Three 50-over matches with two sides bowled out: 250/50 v 200 all out, 180 all out v 181/45, 300/50 v 150 all out | +1.205 | +1.193 | aggregate 0.012 HIGHER |
The definition, the rule that decides tournaments, and the mistake almost everyone makes
Net run rate is the tiebreaker that separates sides level on points in almost every limited-overs group in the world, and it is defined in playing conditions rather than left to convention. Clause 16.10.2 of the ICC Men’s ODI Playing Conditions begins “a team’s net run rate is calculated by deducting from the average runs per over scored by that team”, and the Waikato Valley Cricket Association’s Chairman’s Trophy rule 1(b) — which prints the same definition for a club competition — finishes the sentence with “the average runs per over scored against that team throughout the competition”. The South Australian Associated Schools Twenty20 playing conditions put the same thing as a formula: net run rate equals run rate for minus run rate against.
Three words in that definition do the work. Throughout the competition means the figure is computed once over the whole group, not match by match and then averaged. Those give different answers, and the difference is not small when the matches were of different lengths: a group containing one fifty-over match and one rain-reduced twenty-over match can come out 0.214 apart, which is more than enough to reverse a qualification. The aggregate weights each match by the overs it lasted; an average of per-match net run rates treats a twenty-over game as the equal of a fifty-over one. Published tables use the aggregate, and the direction of the error depends on the group, so there is no safe rule of thumb for the shortcut.
A side that is bowled out is treated as having faced its full quota of overs. Clause 16.10.2 is explicit: the calculation “shall be based on the full quota of overs to which it would have been entitled”, and rule 1(b) of the Chairman’s Trophy adds “and not on the number of overs in which it was dismissed”. This is the rule most hand-built spreadsheets miss, and it is the one with the largest effect. Bowl a side out for 120 in 28.3 overs of a fifty-over match and the run rate you concede is 2.40, not 4.21 — a difference of 1.81 runs an over in a single match. The rule cuts both ways: being bowled out cheaply yourself is punished at the full quota too.
Only matches with a result count. A no-result match is left out entirely, so a washout neither helps nor harms a net run rate. Where a match is abandoned but a result is still reached under Duckworth–Lewis–Stern, clause 16.10.2 sets out how the figures enter: the side batting first is credited with the chasing side’s par score at the moment of abandonment, over the overs that side faced. Those par figures come from the match officials’ DLS software, and the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern explainer explains why no page can produce them.
Two practical notes. The overs fields here are true decimals, because a group aggregate is a sum and cannot be entered as an overs-and-balls pair: 147 overs and 2 balls is 147.333, and the overs to balls converter will convert a scorecard figure before you add it. And net run rate sits below points in every table that uses it — it separates sides already level, so it is never worth chasing at the cost of a result. For a single innings in isolation, the cricket run rate calculator is the page you want.
Frequently asked questions
How is net run rate calculated?
Total runs scored divided by total overs faced, across every completed match in the group, minus total runs conceded divided by total overs bowled. One subtraction at the end, not one per match. ICC Men’s ODI Playing Conditions clause 16.10.2 is the definition.
What happens to net run rate when a team is bowled out?
The side is treated as having faced its full quota of overs, not the overs it actually used. ICC clause 16.10.2 says the calculation “shall be based on the full quota of overs to which it would have been entitled”. Bowling a side out for 120 in 28.3 overs of a fifty-over match concedes a run rate of 2.40, not 4.21.
Can I just average each match’s net run rate?
No, and it is not a close approximation. On a constructed two-match group of unequal length the aggregate came out +1.286 against an averaged +1.500, and on a three-match group the averaged figure was the lower of the two. The direction changes with the group, so the shortcut is wrong rather than conservative.
Do abandoned matches affect net run rate?
A match with no result does not enter the calculation at all. A match abandoned but decided under Duckworth–Lewis–Stern does: clause 16.10.2 credits the side batting first with the chasing side’s par score at abandonment, over the overs that side faced.
Why does this page want 147.333 rather than 147.2?
Because 147.2 on a scorecard means 147 overs and two balls, which is 147.333 overs. A group aggregate is a sum of overs and has to be a real number before it is divided. Entering 147.2 shrinks the denominator and flatters the net run rate.
Is net run rate the same in every competition?
The definition above is the ICC’s, and the three documents read for this page — the ICC’s Men’s ODI Playing Conditions, a New Zealand association’s club rules and a South Australian schools competition — agree on it word for word. What does differ between competitions is where net run rate sits in the tiebreaker order and what comes above it: ICC clause 16.10.1 separates sides level on points by wins, then head-to-head result, then bonus points, and only then by net run rate. Check your own competition’s order.
Related calculators
References
- International Cricket Council. Men’s ODI Playing Conditions, clause 16: The Result — 16.3.1 (a tie is equal scores with all innings complete, regardless of wickets lost), 16.10.1 (the tiebreaker order: wins, then head-to-head, then bonus points, then net run rate), 16.10.2 (net run rate, and the full quota of overs for a side all out), 16.10.3 (run rate is runs divided by overs faced). icc-cricket.com (read 12 Oct 2026).
- Waikato Valley Cricket Association. Chairman’s Trophy playing conditions — rule 1(b): a team all out inside its full quota has its average run rate “based on the full quota of overs to which it would have been entitled and not on the number of overs in which it was dismissed”. ndcricket.co.nz (read 12 Oct 2026).
- South Australian Associated Schools. Twenty20 Revised Playing Conditions — “Net Run Rate = (Run Rate For) – (Run Rate Against)”, the all-out rule, and a worked example of South Africa’s 1999 World Cup group net run rate. saas.asn.au (read 12 Oct 2026).
- International Cricket Council. Men’s ODI Playing Conditions, clause 13: Innings — 13.6.1 (50 overs), 13.7.2 (minimum 20 overs for a result), 13.9.1–13.9.3 (10 overs a bowler, one fifth of a reduced total). icc-cricket.com (read 12 Oct 2026).