By Onkar Jadhav · 8 min read
Net run rate, and the rule everyone gets wrong.
Net run rate is run rate scored minus run rate conceded across the tournament. The formula is simple; the all-out rule, the rain rule and whether to average per match or aggregate are where local tournaments get different answers.
How is net run rate calculated?
Net run rate is total runs scored divided by total overs faced, minus total runs conceded divided by total overs bowled, aggregated across every match in the tournament. The rule most often missed is that a team bowled out is treated as having faced its full quota of overs, not the overs it actually used, so being dismissed in 14 of 20 overs is divided by 20.
The formula
Aggregated across every match in the tournament, not averaged per match. That means a high-scoring game contributes more to a team’s net run rate than a low-scoring one, which is the intended behaviour and matches the standard used in professional competitions.
The all-out rule
This is the rule most manual calculations miss, and it changes the answer substantially.
| Innings | Naive run rate | Correct run rate |
|---|---|---|
| 90 all out in 14 of 20 overs | 6.43 | 4.50 |
| 90 for 6 in 20 overs | 4.50 | 4.50 |
| 145 all out in 19.2 of 20 overs | 7.50 | 7.25 |
| 145 for 4 in 19.2 overs | 7.50 | 7.50 |
The gap in the first row is nearly two runs an over, which across five matches is easily enough to reverse a qualification place.
Partial overs
Overs are counted in sixths, so a printed over figure is not a decimal.
Typing 17.3 into a spreadsheet and dividing by it is the second most common net run rate error after the all-out rule. It is small per innings and accumulates in the same direction every time.
A worked example
A team plays three matches in a 20-over tournament:
| Match | Scored | Overs faced | Conceded | Overs bowled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 164 for 5 | 20 | 140 all out in 18.4 | 20 (all out) |
| 2 | 98 all out in 16.2 | 20 (all out) | 120 for 6 | 20 |
| 3 | 152 for 7 | 20 | 151 for 9 | 20 |
| Total | 414 | 60 | 411 | 60 |
Note both all-out innings using 20 overs rather than their actual duration: match 1 credits the bowling side over 20 overs despite bowling 18.4, and match 2 charges the batting side over 20 despite facing 16.2. Getting either wrong moves the figure by more than the final margin.
Edge cases
- Abandoned with no result. Excluded entirely, both runs and overs. Not entered as zeros.
- Shortened by rain but completed. Counts, using the revised over allocation as the divisor rather than the original.
- Walkover. Best practice is to exclude it, because any notional margin you invent will later decide a qualification place. Walkover handling.
- A chase won early. Use the overs actually faced. A side chasing 120 that wins in 14 overs has its 120 divided by 14, which is the reward for winning quickly.
Stop doing this by hand
Net run rate is the single most commonly miscalculated figure in local cricket, and it is miscalculated in a specific direction: naive calculations flatter teams that were bowled out. Across a tournament, that systematically favours one kind of team.
The NRR calculator applies the all-out rule and the sixths conversion, and in a live tournament the figure is maintained from the ball-by-ball record and feeds the points table directly.
Net run rate FAQ
What is the net run rate formula?
NRR equals (total runs scored ÷ total overs faced) minus (total runs conceded ÷ total overs bowled), summed over all matches rather than averaged per match. Aggregating means a high-scoring match counts for more than a low-scoring one, which is the intended behaviour.
What happens to net run rate when a team is bowled out?
The full allocated overs are used as the divisor, not the overs actually faced. A side dismissed for 90 in 14 overs of a 20-over match has its 90 divided by 20, giving 4.50 rather than 6.43. The same rule applies to the bowling side’s credit for that innings.
How is a partial over counted?
As a decimal fraction of sixths, not as a decimal of the printed figure. An innings of 17.3 overs is 17.5 overs for the calculation, because three balls is half an over. Treating 17.3 as 17.3 is the second most common net run rate error after the all-out rule.
Do abandoned matches affect net run rate?
A match abandoned with no result is excluded from net run rate entirely, in both the runs and the overs. A match shortened by rain but completed counts, using the revised over allocation as the divisor rather than the original.