The Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method recalculates a target when rain or another interruption takes away playing time. It compares the run-scoring resources available to each side, using overs remaining and wickets in hand, so the second team is not judged by a full-length target after receiving fewer opportunities.
What is the DLS method?
DLS is the ICC method for setting a revised target in an interrupted limited-overs match. It is not simply a new run rate multiplied by the number of overs left. The method estimates the relative run-scoring resources that each team had available at the relevant stages of the match.
The original Duckworth-Lewis method, created by English statisticians Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis, was first used in international cricket in 1997. The ICC formally adopted it as the standard for revised targets in truncated matches in 2001. After Australian statistician Steven Stern modified the system, it was renamed the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method in 2014.
The ICC describes DLS as a formula used when bad weather interrupts a match, including when totals must be recalculated because time has been lost. The latest ICC calculator is used for official matches under the current methodology.
The two resources: overs and wickets
At the start of a 50-over innings, the batting side has 300 balls and 10 wickets. As the innings progresses, both resources are consumed. Losing deliveries reduces the time available to score; losing wickets reduces the batting side’s ability to make the most of the remaining deliveries.
That is why two interruptions of the same length can have different effects. Losing overs late in an innings can be more damaging because those overs are often more productive. Losing overs when few wickets have fallen can also matter more than losing them after a team has already lost several wickets. DLS uses the number of overs lost, the stage of the innings and wickets down when the interruption occurs.
The method does not decide which particular batters are out. It works from the match state: the runs, overs and wickets. The resource values are pre-calculated in the ICC methodology and expressed as percentages of the resources in a complete 50-over innings. For matches that start with fewer than 50 overs per innings, the starting resource percentage is correspondingly lower.
| Match situation | What DLS is assessing |
|---|---|
| Overs remaining | The time left to score runs |
| Wickets in hand | The batting capacity left |
| Interruption | How many resources were lost |
| Resumption or abandonment | The resources still available and the score to compare |
Par score versus revised target
These terms are related, but they are not the same.
A par score is the score the chasing side should have reached at a particular interruption, taking account of how many wickets it has lost. The par score can therefore be different for a side on 0, 1 or more wickets down at the same point. If play cannot restart, the officials compare the chasing side’s score with the par score at the instant play was stopped. Above par means a win; equal to par means a tie; below par means a defeat, subject to the competition’s playing conditions.
A revised target is the fixed score the chasing side must reach after an interruption when play will resume with fewer overs. The target is calculated after the interruption. It is one whole-number score, rather than a separate score for every possible number of wickets the chasing side might lose later.
In the ICC’s ODI result clause, a revised target is calculated with the current DLS method when the available overs are reduced. The target is one run more than the score required to win; one run less constitutes a tie in the stated target framework. The precise output comes from the official DLS calculator, not from a quick average-run-rate calculation.
How a rain-affected match is decided
The match officials record the first innings score and the resource position at each interruption. They then determine how much resource the first side used and compare that with the resource available to the second side. If the second side has fewer resources, its target is reduced in proportion. If it has more resources—for example, because the first innings lost overs at a difficult point—the target can be increased using the methodology’s average-score parameter.
If the second innings is stopped permanently after the minimum overs needed for a result, the score at the stoppage is compared with the DLS par score. If play resumes, the side batting second receives the revised target for its reduced allocation. The scoreboard and match officials communicate the final target; readers do not need to reproduce the resource table themselves.
Minimum overs for a result
The minimum applies to the team batting second, subject to a result being reached earlier because a side is all out or the chasing side has scored enough to win.
| Format | Minimum opportunity for the team batting second | If the minimum is not met |
|---|---|---|
| ODI | 20 overs | No Result, unless an early result exception applies |
| T20I | 5 overs | No Result, unless an early result exception applies |
The ICC Men’s ODI playing conditions say a result can be achieved only when both teams have had the opportunity to bat for at least 20 overs, with the stated exceptions. The ICC Men’s T20I playing conditions use five overs. These are playing-condition requirements, not a guarantee that every rain-hit match will reach a result.
Illustrative example: how the calculation changes a target
Illustrative example based on Example 3 in the ICC DLS methodology document: Team 1 scores 250 in its uninterrupted 50 overs. Team 2 reaches 40 for 1 after 12 overs, and rain then removes 10 overs. The ICC table records 82.0% resources remaining at the interruption and 68.8% after the lost overs, so Team 2 has 13.2% fewer resources from that suspension. Team 1 had used 100% of its available resources, while Team 2 has 86.8% available after the interruption.
Using the methodology, the revised target is 218, leaving Team 2 needing 178 more runs from 28 overs. If the match ends at that point instead, officials would compare Team 2’s score with the relevant par score rather than automatically applying the 218 target. This example shows why wickets matter: Team 2 was one wicket down when the overs were lost, and the resource calculation reflects that state.
The example is for explaining the process. In a live match, the official calculator and the match officials’ announcement control the target and result.
How FairPlay settles DLS results
FairPlay settles a match on the official result, including a result decided under DLS. If the official result says one side won under the method, that result is used for settlement.
If a match is abandoned or ends with no result, stakes are not refunded under FairPlay’s settlement rule. The same applies if a toss never takes place. This rule is shown on the bet slip before every bet. For live scores, results and match context, see FairPlay’s live scores, results and cricket analysis pages.
Key points
- DLS measures two resources: overs remaining and wickets in hand.
- A par score applies at an interruption and can vary with wickets lost.
- A revised target is the fixed score set when play resumes with fewer overs.
- Under the cited ICC ODI and T20I conditions, the second team generally needs an opportunity to bat for at least 20 overs in an ODI or 5 overs in a T20I for a result, unless an early result is reached.
- The official match result, not an informal calculation, controls the outcome.
Sources
ICC: Duckworth Lewis Stern; ICC: Playing Conditions; ICC Men’s ODI Match Clause 16: The Result; ICC Men’s ODI and T20I Playing Conditions documents; ICC Men’s T20I Playing Conditions; ICC DLS Methodology PDF; ESPNcricinfo: How the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method works; ESPNcricinfo: Frank Duckworth, co-inventor of DLS method
This article was written by the FairPlay Editorial Desk with AI assistance, using the sources listed above. It was reviewed by Shalini Singh of the FairPlay editorial team before publication. To report an error, see our Editorial Policy.