This guide shows you how to calculate run rate in cricket for any innings, including the awkward part: overs that end partway through, such as 18.3. You’ll also see how wides and no-balls affect the number, and how run rate differs from the required rate shown during a chase.
Quick Answer
Run rate is the average number of runs a team scores per over. Divide the runs scored by the overs faced. The one catch is that an over has six balls, so a figure like 18.3 overs means 18 overs and 3 balls, which is 18.5 overs in the calculation, not 18.3.
What Run Rate Actually Measures
Run rate, often shown as “RR” or “runs per over” on a scoreboard, tells you how quickly a batting side is scoring. It allows for the length of the innings, so you can compare a score after 10 overs with a score after 40.
It’s a rate, not a total. A team on 60 after 6 overs and a team on 200 after 20 overs are both scoring at 10 runs per over, even though their totals look nothing alike.
Formula
Run Rate = Runs Scored ÷ Overs Faced
Here’s what each part means:
- Runs scored is the team’s total, extras included.
- Overs faced is the number of legal balls bowled, divided by 6. Under the ICC’s playing conditions, an over consists of six valid balls. Wides and no-balls are not counted as one of those six.
If you already know the number of legal balls, there’s an equivalent version that avoids the overs step entirely:
Run Rate = Runs Scored × 6 ÷ Legal Balls
Step-by-Step Calculation
Say a team batting first in an ODI has made 183 runs after 24 completed overs.
- Take the runs scored: 183.
- Take the overs faced: 24. There are no extra balls, so no conversion is needed.
- Divide: 183 ÷ 24 = 7.625.
- Round to two decimal places: 7.63 runs per over.
That’s the whole method when the overs are complete. It gets more interesting when they aren’t.
The Part Most People Get Wrong: Overs With Extra Balls
Cricket writes overs in a notation that looks like a decimal but isn’t one. The digit after the point counts balls, from 0 to 5. After ball 5 comes the next whole over, so 18.5 is followed by 19.0, never 18.6.
Take a T20 side on 152 runs after 18.3 overs.
- Convert the overs to balls: 18 overs × 6 = 108 balls, plus 3 balls = 111 legal balls.
- Convert the balls back to true overs: 111 ÷ 6 = 18.5 overs.
- Divide the runs by the true overs: 152 ÷ 18.5 = 8.216…, which is 8.22 runs per over.
Or use the balls version of the formula: 152 × 6 ÷ 111 gives the same 8.22.
If you had treated 18.3 as an ordinary decimal, you’d get 8.31. That looks close, but it’s wrong. The error grows the earlier the innings is and the more balls are in the part-over.
This table shows how each part-over converts:
| Scoreboard shows | Extra balls | Fraction of an over used in the maths |
|---|---|---|
| x.1 | 1 | 0.17 |
| x.2 | 2 | 0.33 |
| x.3 | 3 | 0.50 |
| x.4 | 4 | 0.67 |
| x.5 | 5 | 0.83 |
Important Points
- Wides and no-balls add runs but no balls. Each carries a one-run penalty under the ICC’s playing conditions (clauses 21.15 and 22.6 in the T20I edition), and neither counts as one of the over (clauses 21.17 and 22.8). So they raise the run rate twice: the score goes up, and the over still needs six legal deliveries.
- Byes and leg byes count as normal. The runs go into the total, and the ball is a legal delivery that counts towards the over.
- Round only at the end. If you round 18.5 overs or an intermediate step early, the last decimal place can drift. Keep full precision until the final division.
- Run rate describes the past, not the future. It tells you how fast a side has scored so far, not how fast it will score from here. Treat projections as a rough guide (see below).
- Local matches follow the same maths. Whether your game is 20, 16 or 10 overs, only the innings length changes. The conversion through balls works the same way.
A quick projection is a common extra step. The T20 side above, at 8.22 runs per over with 1.5 overs left, would add about 12 more at the same pace, for a projected total of roughly 164. That’s arithmetic, not a prediction. Death overs usually change the pace.
Another Example: An ODI Innings That Ends Early
Suppose a side is bowled out in an ODI after facing 190 legal balls, having scored 141.
- Convert the balls to cricket notation: 190 ÷ 6 = 31 overs with 4 balls left over, written as 31.4.
- For the maths, use the true overs: 190 ÷ 6 = 31.67.
- Divide: 141 ÷ 31.67 gives 4.45 runs per over.
Treating 31.4 as a decimal would give 4.49 instead.
This is the innings run rate, based on the overs actually faced. Tournament net run rate is a separate calculation. Many competitions count a side that is bowled out as having faced its full quota of overs. Check your competition’s playing conditions, then use the net run rate calculator for that one.
Run Rate vs Required Run Rate
During a chase you’ll see two rates side by side. They answer different questions.
| Current run rate | Required run rate | |
|---|---|---|
| Question it answers | How fast has the batting side scored so far? | How fast must it score from now on to win? |
| Formula | Runs scored ÷ overs faced | Runs still needed ÷ overs remaining |
| Changes with | Every ball bowled | Every ball, and every run scored |
For example, a side chasing 181 in a T20 has made 96 after 11 overs. Its current run rate is 8.73. It needs 85 more from 54 balls, a required run rate of 9.44. When the required rate is above the current rate, the batting side has to speed up. That’s the reading of the numbers, not a forecast of the result.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is run rate calculated in cricket?
Divide the runs scored by the overs faced. If the overs include extra balls, convert to legal balls first (overs × 6 + extra balls), then divide by 6 to get true overs. For example, 152 runs in 18.3 overs is 152 ÷ 18.5, which is 8.22 runs per over.
Is 17.4 overs the same as 17.4 in a calculation?
No. In cricket notation, 17.4 means 17 overs and 4 balls, which is 106 legal balls. Divided by 6, that’s 17.67 overs, and 17.67 is the figure the calculation uses. The digit after the point counts balls, from 0 to 5, so it isn’t a decimal fraction.
Do wides and no-balls affect run rate?
Yes, and they push it up. Each carries a one-run penalty plus any runs scored off it, but neither counts as one of the six balls in the over. So the total rises while the number of legal balls stays the same, and the rate goes up.
What is the difference between run rate and required run rate?
Run rate measures how fast a team has scored so far: runs divided by overs faced. Required run rate measures how fast a chasing team must score from now on: runs still needed divided by overs remaining. If the required rate is higher than the current rate, the batting side needs to accelerate.
How do you calculate run rate in T20 cricket?
Exactly the same way as in any format: runs divided by overs faced, converting any part-over through balls. Only the innings length differs. A T20 side on 152 after 18.3 overs is scoring at 8.22 runs per over.
Related Criko Tools
- Run rate calculator: enter runs with overs and balls, or total legal balls, and it handles the conversion for you.
- Required run rate calculator: during a chase, it shows what the batting side needs from here.
- Overs to balls converter: turns notation like 18.3 into 111 balls.
Related Cricket Guides
Conclusion
To calculate run rate, divide runs by overs. When an over isn’t finished, convert through legal balls first, because 18.3 overs is 18.5 in the maths. Wides and no-balls add runs without adding balls, which is why they push the rate up.