Cricket Run Rate Calculator
Run rate is the heartbeat of a limited overs innings. This tool gives you the current run rate from runs and overs, and the required run rate a chasing side needs to win. Pick a tab, enter the numbers, and read the result straight away.
Your run rate per over appears here.
The rate needed to win from here appears above.
What run rate means
Run rate is the average number of runs scored in each over. It is the simplest way to describe how an innings is moving. A run rate of 6.00 tells you the batting side adds six runs to the total every over, on average. Commentators quote it constantly because it turns a raw score into a pace you can compare across matches.
Current run rate = runs scored ÷ overs faced
Reading overs the cricket way
Overs do not behave like ordinary decimals. The figure after the point is a count of balls, from one to five, not tenths of an over. So 12.3 overs means twelve completed overs and three balls of the thirteenth. To turn that into a number you can divide by, each ball counts as one sixth of an over, which makes 12.3 overs equal to 12.5 in plain decimals. The calculator does this conversion for you, so you can type the score exactly as it appears on the scoreboard.
Required run rate in a chase
When a team bats second it has a target and a shrinking number of overs. Required run rate is the pace it now needs to reach that target in time.
Required run rate = runs still needed ÷ overs remaining
The runs still needed is the target minus the runs already scored. The overs remaining is the innings length minus the overs already bowled. As the chase goes on, a few quiet overs push this number up quickly, which is why the required rate is such a good measure of pressure.
Worked examples
For current run rate, say a team has 96 runs after 12.3 overs. Twelve point three overs is 12.5 in decimal form. The run rate is 96 ÷ 12.5, which is 7.68 runs per over. If the innings is 20 overs long, projecting that pace gives roughly 154 at the end.
For required run rate, say the target is 280, the chasing side is on 150, the innings is 50 overs, and 30.2 overs have gone. They still need 130 runs. The overs remaining are 50 minus 30 and a third, which is 19.67. The required run rate is 130 ÷ 19.67, which is about 6.61 runs per over.
How we calculate this
Run rate uses runs divided by overs, with overs read in cricket notation where each ball is one sixth of an over. Required run rate divides the runs still needed by the overs still left in the innings. Everything runs in your browser and nothing you enter is stored.
Tips and practical advice
Managing run rate is about balance. In ODIs, aim for a steady start in the powerplay (5-6 per over), consolidate through the middle overs (4-5 per over), then accelerate in the last 10 overs (8+ per over). In T20s, the scoring needs to be higher throughout. Keep wickets in hand for the death overs — having experienced batters at the crease in overs 16-20 is more valuable than an early flurry followed by a collapse.
Tips and practical advice
Managing run rate is about balance. In ODIs, aim for a steady start in the powerplay (5-6 per over), consolidate through the middle overs (4-5 per over), then accelerate in the last 10 overs (8+ per over). In T20s, the scoring needs to be higher throughout. Keep wickets in hand for the death overs — having experienced batters at the crease in overs 16-20 is more valuable than an early flurry followed by a collapse.
Frequently asked questions
What is run rate in cricket?
Run rate is the average number of runs a team scores per over. You find it by dividing the runs scored by the overs faced. A run rate of 6.00 means the team scores six runs every over.
How do you calculate required run rate?
Required run rate is the runs still needed divided by the overs still left. Take the target, subtract the current score to get the runs needed, then divide by the overs remaining.
How do you read overs like 19.4?
The number after the point is balls, not tenths. So 19.4 means nineteen overs and four balls. Since an over is six balls, four balls equals four sixths of an over when converting for a run rate.
What is a par run rate?
A par run rate depends on the format. Around 6 per over is solid across a 50 over innings, while a T20 side often aims for 8 or more. Conditions, the pitch, and wickets in hand all shift what counts as par.