How required run rate is calculated
Required run rate (RRR) tells a chasing team how many runs per over it needs from here to reach the target. It is pure arithmetic — runs still needed divided by overs remaining — and it says nothing about whether the chase will succeed. Here is the exact formula, the target rule and a worked example.
Open the Net Run Rate calculatorWant the number now? The Net run rate calculator also handles the chase-side figures — target, runs needed and overs remaining — from the numbers you enter.
What required run rate measures
In a limited-overs run chase, the batting side needs to overhaul the total set by the team batting first. The required run rate is the average number of runs per over it must score across the remaining overs to get there. It updates ball by ball: score quickly and it falls, waste overs and it climbs. It is the chasing counterpart to the run rate concepts used in net run rate.
Step 1: the target
To win, the chasing side must pass the opposition’s score, not merely equal it (a tie is not a win). So the target is one more than what the first side made:
If the team batting first scored 250, the target is 251 — the chasing side must reach 251 to win.
Step 2: the required run rate
The required run rate is the runs still needed divided by the overs still available, with overs expressed as a decimal:
- target
- opposition score + 1
- current runs
- the chasing side’s runs scored so far
- overs_remaining_decimal
- overs left, with balls converted as balls / 6
As with all run-rate maths, remaining overs must be in decimal form: if 4 balls of an over are
left, that is 4 / 6 = 0.667 of an over, not 0.4.
Worked example
Suppose a side is chasing 251 (the target, so the opposition made 250). It is 120 for some wickets after 25 overs in a 50-over match, leaving 25 overs remaining.
- Runs still needed:
target − current runs = 251 − 120 = 131. - Overs remaining in decimal:
25(a whole number of overs here). - Required run rate:
131 / 25 = 5.24.
So the side needs 5.24 runs per over from the remaining 25 overs to win. This is simply what the arithmetic demands "at this rate" — it is not a forecast of the result.
Required run rate versus a projected score
A projected score answers a different question — not "what rate do I now need?" but "where will I finish if I carry on at my current rate?" It is built from the current run rate, not the target:
In the example above the current run rate is 120 / 25 = 4.80, so the projected score
is 120 + (4.80 × 25) = 120 + 120 = 240 — short of the 251 target, which is
exactly why the required rate (5.24) sits above the current rate (4.80). The two figures are
distinct and should not be conflated.
What required run rate does not tell you
Required run rate is strictly arithmetic — "at this rate", never a prediction of the result. It ignores wickets in hand, the batters at the crease, the bowlers left, the pitch and the pressure of a chase, all of which decide whether a required rate is actually achievable. It also does not adjust for rain interruptions: revised targets in shortened matches are set by the DLS method, which is proprietary and separate, and is not computed on this site.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the target one more than the opposition’s score?
Because the chasing side has to pass the total to win. Equalling it is a tie, so the target is opposition score + 1.
How do I convert overs remaining to a decimal?
Add the balls left as a sixth of an over: 4 balls remaining is 4/6 = 0.667 of an over. Divide the runs still needed by this decimal figure.
Is the required run rate a prediction?
No. It is what the arithmetic requires from the remaining overs "at this rate". It says nothing about wickets, form or conditions, and it is not a forecast of who will win.
Related tools and reading
Net run rate calculator
Handles chase figures — target, runs needed and overs remaining — and NRR.
ReadWhat is net run rate in cricket?
The standings tie-breaker, its formula and the bowled-out full-overs rule.
Sources
- International Cricket Council, Standard Playing Conditions — result and target conditions for limited-overs matches. Use the edition in force. Checked 23 Aug 2026.