Net Run Rate (NRR)
Also known as: net run rate, how is net run rate calculated, nrr in cricket, net run rate formula, tournament run rate tiebreak
Net run rate is your team's runs per over across a competition minus the runs per over scored against you. If you are bowled out early, you count as having used your full quota of overs. ICC events use it to split teams level on points and wins.
Work out each side of the sum over the whole competition. Add up all the runs you scored and divide by all the overs you faced. Do the same for the runs and overs against you. Then subtract the second number from the first.
For example, a team scores 600 runs in 100 overs. That is 6.00 an over. It concedes 550 runs in 100 overs, which is 5.50 an over. Its net run rate is +0.50. Part overs count as balls divided by six, so 45 overs and 3 balls is 45.5 overs.
Under the ICC's ODI playing conditions, a side bowled out early is treated as facing its full quota of overs. Only matches with a result count. Rain-affected matches use special rules. Other competitions can set their own tiebreaks, so check the rules.
Tips by skill level
Use total runs and total overs for the whole tournament. Do not average the rates from each match.
Late in a group, work out the margin you need before the chase starts. Teams sometimes need to win in a set number of overs.
Example
In a 50-over match, a team is bowled out for 200 in 40 overs. For net run rate, its innings counts as 200 runs off 50 overs.
Why it matters
Net run rate can decide who reaches the knockouts. It explains why teams chase targets quickly or try to restrict a loss late in a group stage.
Common mistakes
- Using the overs actually faced when a team was bowled out
- Writing 45.3 overs as 45.3 in the sum instead of 45.5
- Averaging each match's run rate instead of using total runs and overs
- Assuming every league uses net run rate as a tiebreak
Frequently asked questions
How is net run rate calculated?
Take your runs per over across the competition, then subtract the runs per over scored against you. Use total runs and total overs, not match-by-match averages.
What happens to net run rate if a team is all out?
Under ICC ODI playing conditions, the team counts as having faced its full quota of overs, not the overs it lasted.
Sources
Related terms
- Run Chase and Required Run RateIn a run chase, the required run rate is the runs you still need divided by the overs left. To pace a chase, break it into small targets, keep wickets in hand and avoid long runs of dot balls. Plan to attack harder when you have batters to come and fewer overs left.
- One-Day International (ODI)A one-day international is an international match where each team bats once, for up to 50 overs. Each bowler can bowl no more than 10 overs. The fielding side is limited to two fielders outside the 30-yard circle in overs 1 to 10, four in overs 11 to 40 and five in overs 41 to 50. A tie is settled by a Super Over.
- T20 FormatT20 (Twenty20) cricket is the shortest mainstream format of the game — each side bats for a maximum of 20 overs — producing fast-paced, high-scoring matches usually completed in under three hours.
- Match Results (Win, Tie, Draw)A cricket match ends in a win, a tie or a draw. A side wins by scoring more runs than the other side does in its completed innings. A tie means every innings is complete and the scores are level. A draw means the match ends without either of those, usually because time runs out in a multi-day game before the side batting last is bowled out or reaches its target.
- Batting Strike RateA batter's strike rate is the runs they score per 100 balls faced. Divide runs by balls faced and multiply by 100. Scoring 45 off 30 balls is a strike rate of 150. Balls faced include no balls but not wides.
Cricket analysis is in development
Motion Lab does not analyze this sport yet. Keep exploring the terms in this section.