How to calculate net run rate in cricket: worked examples

The formula and the numbers you need

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

The examples below use the treatment described in clause 16.10.7 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 playing conditions. Check the rules for the event you are reading; this is an explanation, not a live points table.

Use credited overs after any applicable adjustment. An all-out innings uses its allocated quota. Super Over figures are excluded, and a no-result match is excluded. Rain-adjusted results need the event’s DLS treatment rather than the raw scorecard alone.

All scores below are invented teaching examples. They do not describe real fixtures, predict results or recommend bets. For the meaning of runs, wickets and overs on a scorecard, start with the cricket scorecard guide.

Convert overs to balls before calculating

In six-ball cricket, 18.4 overs means 18 overs and four valid balls. That is 112 balls, or 18⅔ overs. It is not 18.4 decimal overs.

A practical calculation is runs × 6 ÷ valid balls. For 168 runs from 18.4 overs, the rate is 168 × 6 ÷ 112 = 9.000. Dividing 168 by 18.4 instead gives about 9.130, an avoidable error before you have even subtracted the other rate.

When entering data in a spreadsheet, store complete overs and additional balls separately, or convert each innings to a whole-number ball count. Do not add values such as 18.4 and 19.3 as if they were decimal measurements.

Example 1: a completed chase

Team A scores 168/6 from 20 overs. Team B reaches 169/4 from 18.4 overs. Neither innings is all out, and the match has no rain adjustment.

For this single match, Team A has the opposite value. The winning side’s faster chase affects its scoring rate; its wickets remaining do not appear in this arithmetic.

Example 2: why an all-out innings uses the quota

Now imagine Team A is all out for 120 after 16.2 overs in a match with a 20-over allocation. Team B reaches 121/3 after 15 overs. For this example, Team A’s NRR scoring denominator is 20 overs, not 16⅓.

Team A’s scoring rate is 120 ÷ 20 = 6.000. Its conceding rate is 121 ÷ 15 = 8.066666…. The difference is −2.067 to three decimal places.

If you incorrectly used 98 balls for Team A’s scoring denominator, you would obtain roughly 7.347 runs per over and substantially understate the negative difference. Record both the actual innings length and the quota so that the adjustment is visible.

Example 3: combine match totals, not match averages

Consider a team with two completed matches, no all-out innings and no rain adjustments:

The combined NRR is (281 ÷ 30) − (260 ÷ 40) = 9.366666… − 6.5 = +2.867.

The individual match differences are +1.000 and +5.100. Their simple average is +3.050, which is wrong for the combined record: the batting denominators differ. Aggregate the runs and credited ball counts, calculate at full precision, and round only the final displayed value.

If your answer differs from the published table

• Check that every included match belongs to the same competition stage.
• Recheck each overs-to-balls conversion.
• Apply the allocated quota to an all-out innings.
• Remove no-result and Super Over figures.
• Check for rain adjustments, forfeits or corrected scorecards in the event rules.
• Calculate from totals rather than rounded match rates.

The ICC document linked above covers the relevant tournament adjustments. Use the organiser’s published table as the reference when an exceptional result needs interpretation. For a broader reading checklist, see how to compare cricket match information.

Common questions