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Cricket Required Run Rate

SportsRunning and Endurance
Match format

Cricket notation: 12.3 means 12 overs and 3 balls.

Required run rate (per over) —
Runs needed
—
Balls left
—
Overs left
—
Current run rate
—
Runs needed per ball
—
Wickets in hand
—

The required run rate is the runs still needed divided by the overs remaining. Chasing 180 in a T20 at 100 after 12 overs, the side needs 80 from 8 overs, so the required run rate is 80 ÷ 8 = 10.00 runs per over. Part overs count in balls: 30.3 overs bowled is 183 balls, not 30.3 decimal overs.

About this tool

Commentators, captains, scorers and fantasy players all track the same number in a chase: how many runs an over the batting side now needs. This calculator takes the target, the runs on the board and the overs bowled in normal scoring notation, then returns the required run rate alongside the runs needed, balls left, the current run rate and runs needed per ball. Pick T20 or ODI and the innings length is set for you; choose another length for The Hundred-style or club matches with fewer overs. The working shows each division so a scorer can check it line by line. One limit: after a rain interruption the target itself is revised by the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, which this tool does not reproduce, so enter the revised target and reduced overs as published by the officials.

How to use it

  1. Choose the format

    Select T20 or ODI, or Other overs and type the innings length for a shortened or club match.

  2. Enter target and score

    The target is the score needed to win, one more than the first-innings total. Add the runs scored so far.

  3. Enter overs bowled

    Type overs as the scoreboard shows them: 14.2 means 14 overs and 2 balls.

  4. Set wickets lost

    Use the − and + buttons; the result shows wickets in hand next to the rate.

Examples

Chasing 180, 100/3 after 12 overs

Match format
T20 (20 overs)
Target to win
180
Runs scored so far
100
Overs bowled
12
Wickets lost
3

Result Required run rate (per over): 10.00
Runs needed: 80
Balls left: 48
Overs left: 8.0
Current run rate: 8.33
Runs needed per ball: 1.67
Wickets in hand: 7

  1. Runs needed = 180 − 100 = 80
  2. Balls left = 120 − 72 = 48 (8.0 overs)
  3. Required run rate = 80 ÷ (48 ÷ 6) = 10 per over
  4. Current run rate = 100 ÷ (72 ÷ 6) = 8.33 per over

Eighty runs from the last 48 balls means ten an over, against the 8.33 scored so far.

Chasing 250, 150/4 after 30.3 overs

Match format
ODI (50 overs)
Target to win
250
Runs scored so far
150
Overs bowled
30.3
Wickets lost
4

Result Required run rate (per over): 5.13
Runs needed: 100
Balls left: 117
Overs left: 19.3
Current run rate: 4.92
Runs needed per ball: 0.85
Wickets in hand: 6

  1. Runs needed = 250 − 150 = 100
  2. Balls left = 300 − 183 = 117 (19.3 overs)
  3. Required run rate = 100 ÷ (117 ÷ 6) = 5.13 per over
  4. Current run rate = 150 ÷ (183 ÷ 6) = 4.92 per over

The three extra balls count as half an over, so 100 runs are needed from 19.5 overs.

How it is calculated

RRR = (T − R) ÷ ((6N − B) ÷ 6)

T
target, the runs needed to win
R
runs scored so far
N
overs in the innings
B
legal balls bowled, from overs notation (o.b = 6o + b)

Overs in cricket notation are not decimals: the digit after the point counts balls from 0 to 5. The tool turns overs bowled into balls, subtracts them from the six balls per over of the full innings, and divides the runs needed by the balls left over six. The current run rate uses the same conversion on the balls already bowled. Wides and no-balls are not legal deliveries, so they add runs without using up balls.

When not to use it

  • Rain-affected chases where the DLS par score and revised target have not been entered.
  • Test or first-class matches, where there is no fixed overs limit for a chase.
  • Innings using eight-ball overs or the 100-ball format counted in sets of five.

Common mistakes

  • Typing the first-innings total instead of the target, which is one run higher.
  • Treating 15.4 overs as 15.4 decimal overs rather than 15 overs and 4 balls.
  • Counting wides and no-balls as balls bowled.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between current and required run rate?

The current run rate is runs scored divided by overs already bowled; it describes what has happened. The required run rate looks forward: runs still needed divided by overs left. When the required rate is above the current one, the batting side has to speed up.

Why does 30.3 overs equal 30.5 in the calculation?

An over has six balls, so three balls are half an over. Scorers write 30.3 to mean 30 overs and 3 balls, which is 183 balls or 30.5 overs in decimal terms. The tool does this conversion before dividing.

Is the target the opposition score?

No. The target is one more than the first-innings total, because scores level would be a tie. If the side batting first made 179, the target is 180.

Do wickets change the required run rate?

Not in the formula. The rate depends only on runs and balls. Wickets in hand matter for how realistic the chase is, which is why they are shown beside the rate, and they do matter in DLS calculations after interruptions.

What required run rate is considered hard to chase?

In T20 cricket, sides regularly score 8 to 10 an over at the death, and rates above 12 for several overs are rarely sustained. In ODIs, a required rate above 7 with fewer than 15 overs left usually demands a set batter and wickets in hand.

Can I use it for a rain-reduced match?

Yes, as long as you enter the revised target and the reduced number of overs announced by the umpires. Choose Other overs and type the new innings length. The tool does not compute DLS revisions itself.

Cite this tool

Using this tool in an assignment, article or report? Copy a citation, or a link for your website.

APA

Tools Directory Editorial Team. (2026, October 26). Cricket Required Run Rate. Tools Directory. Retrieved October 26, 2026, from https://tools.milunir.com/sports/running-and-endurance/cricket-required-run-rate/

MLA

Tools Directory Editorial Team. “Cricket Required Run Rate.” Tools Directory, 26 Oct. 2026, https://tools.milunir.com/sports/running-and-endurance/cricket-required-run-rate/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Tools Directory Editorial Team. “Cricket Required Run Rate.” Tools Directory. Last modified October 26, 2026. Accessed October 26, 2026. https://tools.milunir.com/sports/running-and-endurance/cricket-required-run-rate/.

Link<a href="https://tools.milunir.com/sports/running-and-endurance/cricket-required-run-rate/">Cricket Required Run Rate – Tools Directory</a>