When a cricket group stage ends with teams level on points, net run rate — NRR — usually decides who goes through. It rewards teams that win big and chase fast, and it can come down to a single delivery. Yet the formula, and one awkward rule about being bowled out, confuse even devoted fans.
Here's exactly how net run rate works, worked through with an example, plus the gotcha that changes the number completely.
The net run rate formula
Net run rate is the rate at which a team scores runs minus the rate at which it concedes them, across all its matches in the tournament:
NRR = (total runs scored ÷ total overs faced) − (total runs conceded ÷ total overs bowled)
It's calculated over the whole competition, not per match — you add up all the runs and all the overs on each side of the equation, then subtract. A positive NRR means you generally score faster than you concede; a negative one means the opposite.
A worked example
Say across the group stage your team has scored 1,450 runs in 180 overs and conceded 1,390 runs in 180 overs. Your scoring rate is 1450 ÷ 180 = 8.06 per over. Your concession rate is 1390 ÷ 180 = 7.72 per over. Your NRR is 8.06 − 7.72 = +0.33.
Overs use the balls-per-over format: 19.3 means 19 overs and 3 balls, i.e. 19.5 in decimal — not 19.3. Convert before dividing, or a calculator will do it for you.
The bowled-out rule that changes everything
Here's the part people miss. If a team is all out before using its full quota of overs, you do *not* use the overs it actually faced. You use the full quota — 20 overs in a T20, 50 in an ODI — as the divisor.
So if a side is bowled out for 120 in 18 overs of a 20-over match, its run rate for NRR purposes is 120 ÷ 20 = 6.0, not 120 ÷ 18 = 6.67. This rule stops teams from being rewarded for a rapid collapse, and it can swing a net run rate by a few crucial hundredths.
Calculate it instantly
Rather than juggling cumulative totals and the all-out rule by hand, enter your figures in the free Net Run Rate Calculator. It applies the full-quota rule and gives the exact NRR to three decimals — the same number that orders a league table.
Net Run Rate CalculatorWork out a team's NRR for the league table.Related cricket tools
- Cricket Run Rate Calculator — current rate, projected score and required run rate for a chase.
- Cricket Strike Rate Calculator — batting strike rate and bowling economy, strike rate and average.
- Cricket Scoreboard — score a match ball by ball with full batsman and bowler stats.