Explainers
How net run rate decides a league table
When teams finish level on points, net run rate settles the order. Here is how it is calculated.
Net run rate (NRR) is the tie-breaker most T20 leagues use when two or more teams finish on the same number of points. It rewards teams that win comfortably and punishes heavy defeats.
The formula
NRR is a team’s average runs per over scored, minus its average runs per over conceded, across every completed match in the competition. A team that scores at 8.5 an over and concedes at 7.9 an over has an NRR of +0.60.
Two details that catch people out
- If a side is bowled out before its overs run out, its overs faced are counted as the full quota (20 in a T20), not the overs it actually batted. Being all out cheaply is therefore expensive.
- Matches with no result are normally left out of the calculation, and rain-shortened games use the revised target and overs under the competition’s rules.
Why it matters
In a tight eight-team league a single big chase can move a team several places on NRR alone. That is why captains who are chasing sometimes keep attacking after the game is effectively won.