Cricket · Free tool
Required run rate calculator
Required run rate is the runs you need divided by the overs you have left, with part overs counted in sixths: needing 57 from 34 balls (5.4 overs, which is 5.667 as a decimal) is 10.06 an over. Enter the target, the score and the overs bowled to get the rate, the current rate and the same "Need 57 from 34" line the app shows on Apple Watch.
Work out the rate to win
Enter the runs to chase, the score now and the overs bowled.
Their total? The target is one more, and the calculator adds it. Overs are written the scorebook way: 14.2 is 14 overs and 2 balls. In The Hundred, enter balls bowled instead, and change Balls per side if the innings was cut short.
How to work out the required run rate
A chase needs three numbers: the target, the score now and how much of the innings is left. Balls are the safest unit, because the overs on a scoreboard are not decimals.
- Target: First-innings total plus 1. If the side batting first made 176, you need 177, because under Law 16 the side with more runs wins. Finishing on 176 is a tie.
- Runs needed = target minus your score now.
- Balls left = balls in the innings minus legal balls bowled. 20 overs is 120 balls (T20), 50 overs is 300, 10 overs is 60, and The Hundred has 100. Wides and no-balls are bowled again, so they do not use up a ball.
- Required run rate = runs needed × 6 ÷ balls left. That equals runs needed divided by overs left, but only if the overs are true decimals.
- Current run rate = runs scored × 6 ÷ balls bowled.
RRR = runs needed × 6 ÷ balls left
The most common mistake is dividing by the scoreboard figure. With 57 needed and 5.4 overs left, 57 ÷ 5.4 gives 10.56. But 5.4 overs is 5 overs and 4 balls, which is 34 balls or 5.667 overs, so the real rate is 10.06. The overs to balls converter explains the notation.
Worked examples
| Format | Target | Score | Bowled | Need | Balls left | Required rate | Current rate | On Apple Watch | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T20 | 177 | 120 | 14.2 | 57 | 34 (5.4) | 10.06 | 8.37 | Need 57 from 34 | They made 176, so the target is 177. You are 120/3. |
| 50 overs | 281 | 150 | 30.0 | 131 | 120 (20.0) | 6.55 | 5.00 | Need 131 from 120 | They made 280, so the target is 281. You are 150/2. |
| The Hundred | 146 | 90 | 60 balls | 56 | 40 balls | 1.40 (7.00) | 1.50 (7.50) | Need 56 from 40 | They made 145, so the target is 146. You are 90/1. Rates per ball, and per set of five. |
| T20, last over | 161 | 149 | 19.0 | 12 | 6 (1.0) | 12.00 | 7.84 | Need 12 from 6 | Two a ball: 12 from 6 is 12.00 an over. |
Rates are runs an over (for The Hundred, runs a ball with runs per five in brackets). Required rate = runs needed × 6 ÷ balls left. Current rate = runs scored × 6 ÷ balls bowled.
Required run rate at a glance
No calculator to hand? Find the runs you need down the side and the balls left across the top. Overs are shown the scorebook way in brackets.
| Runs needed | 6 balls (1.0) | 12 balls (2.0) | 18 balls (3.0) | 24 balls (4.0) | 30 balls (5.0) | 36 balls (6.0) | 48 balls (8.0) | 60 balls (10.0) | 90 balls (15.0) | 120 balls (20.0) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 6.00 | 3.00 | 2.00 | 1.50 | 1.20 | 1.00 | 0.75 | 0.60 | 0.40 | 0.30 |
| 10 | 10.00 | 5.00 | 3.33 | 2.50 | 2.00 | 1.67 | 1.25 | 1.00 | 0.67 | 0.50 |
| 12 | 12.00 | 6.00 | 4.00 | 3.00 | 2.40 | 2.00 | 1.50 | 1.20 | 0.80 | 0.60 |
| 18 | 18.00 | 9.00 | 6.00 | 4.50 | 3.60 | 3.00 | 2.25 | 1.80 | 1.20 | 0.90 |
| 20 | 20.00 | 10.00 | 6.67 | 5.00 | 4.00 | 3.33 | 2.50 | 2.00 | 1.33 | 1.00 |
| 24 | 24.00 | 12.00 | 8.00 | 6.00 | 4.80 | 4.00 | 3.00 | 2.40 | 1.60 | 1.20 |
| 30 | 30.00 | 15.00 | 10.00 | 7.50 | 6.00 | 5.00 | 3.75 | 3.00 | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| 36 | 36.00 | 18.00 | 12.00 | 9.00 | 7.20 | 6.00 | 4.50 | 3.60 | 2.40 | 1.80 |
| 40 | 40.00 | 20.00 | 13.33 | 10.00 | 8.00 | 6.67 | 5.00 | 4.00 | 2.67 | 2.00 |
| 50 | 50.00 | 25.00 | 16.67 | 12.50 | 10.00 | 8.33 | 6.25 | 5.00 | 3.33 | 2.50 |
| 60 | 60.00 | 30.00 | 20.00 | 15.00 | 12.00 | 10.00 | 7.50 | 6.00 | 4.00 | 3.00 |
| 80 | 80.00 | 40.00 | 26.67 | 20.00 | 16.00 | 13.33 | 10.00 | 8.00 | 5.33 | 4.00 |
| 100 | 100.00 | 50.00 | 33.33 | 25.00 | 20.00 | 16.67 | 12.50 | 10.00 | 6.67 | 5.00 |
Each cell is runs needed × 6 ÷ balls left, to two decimals. Above 36.00 you need more than a six a ball.
The Hundred
The Hundred has 100 balls per side and shows a ball count instead of overs, so its rates read best per ball. Multiply by 5 for a set of five, or by 6 to compare with an over: needing 56 from 40 balls is 1.40 a ball, 7.00 per five and 8.40 per six balls. Choose The Hundred above and enter balls bowled instead of overs. If the innings was cut short, change Balls per side as well. There is more on the format in The Hundred rules.
Edge cases
- Target reached: the match ends there and the chasing side wins by the number of wickets it has left. A boundary that takes the score past the target still counts in full. Only the overs you used count towards your net run rate, so a quick win lifts it.
- Balls run out one short: finishing on the target minus one means the scores are level, so the match is tied. Some competitions then play a Super Over.
- All out: the innings also ends when 10 wickets have fallen, however many balls are left. The calculator does not ask for wickets, so keep an eye on them yourself.
- Wides and no-balls: each adds a run and is bowled again, so the runs needed drop while the balls left stay the same. See wides, no-balls, byes and leg byes.
- Rain and DLS: when overs are lost, the target is revised with the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method. This calculator does not work out DLS par scores or revised targets. If you already have the revised target and overs, enter them (choose Other for the overs, or change Balls per side in The Hundred) and the rate is right for the new chase.
How the app handles it
During a chase, Sport Score Tracker shows the target (2nd innings · Target N), and on Apple Watch the cricket board also shows a Need X from Y line, where Y is the balls remaining. The match ends as soon as the chasing side reaches the target, is all out or runs out of balls, and the result reads won by N wickets, won by N runs or Match tied. It covers T20, ODI, The Hundred and T10; custom or reduced overs and DLS revised targets are not supported.
Questions
How do you calculate the required run rate?
Multiply the runs needed by 6 and divide by the balls left. Needing 57 from 34 balls is 57 × 6 ÷ 34 = 10.06 an over. Dividing by overs gives the same answer only with true decimal overs: 34 balls is 5.667 overs, not the 5.4 on the scoreboard.
Why is the target one more than the other side's score?
Because the side batting second has to score more runs than the side batting first to win (Law 16). Ending level is a tie, so if they made 176 the target is 177.
How do I enter 14 overs and 2 balls?
Type 14.2. The figure after the point counts balls from 0 to 5, so there is no 14.6: after 14.5 comes 15.0.
Does the calculator handle DLS for rain-affected matches?
No. It does not calculate DLS par scores or revised targets. Once you know the revised target and the revised overs (or balls, in The Hundred), enter them and the required rate is correct for the new chase.
How does the required run rate work in The Hundred?
The same way, counted per ball: runs needed divided by balls left. Needing 56 from 40 balls is 1.40 a ball, which is 7.00 per set of five or 8.40 per six balls.
Last reviewed September 25, 2026
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