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DLS calculator: revised target and par score

Rain stopped play? Enter the overs, Team 1's score and when play stopped. You get Team 2's revised target and the par score at once, for any match from 1 to 50 overs a side.

The match

Team 1 (batting first)

Leave empty while Team 1 is still batting.

Stoppages while Falcons batted

No stoppage. Add one if rain stopped play.

Team 2 (chasing)

Stoppages while Rangers batted

Stoppage 1

Team 2's score now (optional)

For the par score at this moment.

The answer

DLS Standard Edition
Target98
Overs12
Par score now58
Team 1 resources56.6%
Team 2 resources34.5%

Rangers need 98 to win from 12 overs.

2 ahead of par

For the par score to decide the match, the chase must usually face 5 overs.

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Par score at the end of each over

After over · Par

  1. 10
  2. 26
  3. 314
  4. 422
  5. 531
  6. 640
  7. 748
  8. 858
  9. 967
  10. 1077
  11. 1187
  12. 1297

How it works

This is the Standard Edition of the Duckworth-Lewis method: the published table of resources the ICC keeps for when its computer program is not available, and the same sums the Manage Cricket scoring app uses. International and franchise cricket uses the Professional Edition, a computer program that is not published, so its targets can differ, mostly when a lot of runs are scored. Many leagues below the international game use the Standard Edition because anyone can check its sums.

Every innings starts with resources: its overs and its wickets. A full 50-over innings is 100%. Shorter matches start lower: a 20-over innings has 56.6% and a 10-over innings 32.1%.

When rain takes overs away, the batting side loses the resources those overs would have given it. The table says what is left for every number of overs and wickets, so the loss depends on the wickets down when play stopped: losing 5 overs with 2 wickets down costs more than losing them with 8 down.

Team 2's target is Team 1's score scaled by the two sides' resources. With fewer resources than Team 1, the target comes down in proportion. With more (when Team 1's innings was cut short), each extra 1% is worth G50 / 100 runs. G50 is 245 for matches between first-class sides or full ICC members, and 200 for lower levels of the game. The calculator starts on 200, the value for club cricket.

The par score is the target less one: the score Team 2 needs to be level if no more play is possible. If rain ends the chase, the side ahead of par wins and the margin is in runs. The chase must usually face a minimum number of overs (5 in a T20, 20 in a 50-over match) for the par score to decide it; otherwise the match is a no result. Your league's rules have the last word.

Rain before the first ball needs no DLS: both sides simply get fewer overs, and the target is one more than Team 1's score.

A worked example

Falcons make 160 in their 20 overs. Rangers are 60 for 2 after 8 overs when rain arrives, and 8 overs are lost: the chase is now 12 overs.

Rangers started with 56.6%. When play stopped they had 12 overs left with 2 down, worth 35.8%. When it resumed they had 4 overs left with 2 down, worth 13.7%. So the rain cost them 22.1%, leaving 56.6 - 22.1 = 34.5%.

Their target is 160 x 34.5 / 56.6 = 97.5, rounded down to 97, plus one: 98 to win from 12 overs. If rain then stops play for good after 10 overs with Rangers on 75 for 3, the par score is 77, so Falcons win by 2 runs (DLS).

Open this example in the calculator

Questions and answers

Is this the same DLS the ICC uses in international cricket?

It is the Standard Edition, which the ICC publishes as a table and keeps as the fallback when the computer program is not available. International and franchise matches use the Professional Edition, a computer program, so their targets can differ by a few runs or more, mostly in high-scoring matches.

Does the DLS calculator work for T20, 10-over and 8-over matches?

Yes. Any match from 1 to 50 overs a side. Shorter matches start with fewer resources (a T20 innings with 56.6%, a 10-over innings with 32.1%) and the same table and sums apply. Eight-ball, five-ball and four-ball overs work too.

What is G50 and which value should I use?

G50 is the average score in a full 50-over innings. It only matters when Team 1's innings was cut short and Team 2 ends up with more resources. Use 200 for club, school and other lower-level cricket, and 245 for matches between first-class sides or full ICC members.

What is the par score?

The score Team 2 needs to be level with Team 1 if no more play is possible at that moment. If the match ends there, one run above par wins, below par loses, and on par is a tie.

How many overs must the chase face for a result?

The ICC asks for 5 overs in a T20 and 20 in a 50-over match before the par score can decide it. The calculator scales that to other lengths (3 overs of a 10-over match, for example) and warns below it. Your league's rules decide.

What if it rains before the first ball?

Nothing has been lost yet, so DLS is not needed: both sides play the shorter match and the target is one more than Team 1's score.

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