Cricket · Guide
The DLS method explained
When rain cuts a one-day or T20 match short, the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method sets a fair target. It measures how much batting "resource" each team had, based on overs and wickets left, not just the run rate.
The idea
A team's chance of scoring runs depends on two things: how many overs it has left, and how many wickets it has in hand. DLS treats those together as a single number, the team's remaining resources, as a percentage.
At the start of an innings a team has 100%. Losing overs to rain takes some away; so does losing wickets. When the two sides end up with different resources, the target is scaled so the comparison is fair.
Three common situations
Rain before the second innings
If the chasing side's innings is cut to fewer overs than the first team had, its target comes down, but not as far as a simple run-rate sum would suggest, because it still has all ten wickets for fewer overs.
Rain in the middle of the chase
The target is revised for the overs lost. The big screen shows the new target and the par score: the score needed at each point to be exactly level.
Rain ends the match
If the minimum overs have been possible, the result is decided on the par score at that moment. Ahead of par wins; behind it loses; exactly on par is a tie.
The minimum for a result
| Format | Each side must be able to face |
|---|---|
| ODI | 20 overs |
| T20 international | 5 overs |
If that is not possible, the match is abandoned with no result.
Where the name comes from
Statisticians Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis devised the system; Steven Stern later took it over and updated it, which is why it became Duckworth-Lewis-Stern. The exact tables are more complex than can fit on a scoreboard, so officials use software to calculate targets.
Quick answers
- What is the DLS method?
- Duckworth-Lewis-Stern: the system used to set a fair target when rain shortens a one-day or T20 match. It works from the resources each team has left: overs and wickets.
- How many overs are needed for a result under DLS?
- In a men's or women's ODI, each side must have had the chance to face at least 20 overs. In a T20 international, at least five.
- What is a DLS par score?
- The score the chasing team needs at that moment to be level. Ahead of par when rain ends play, they win; behind it, they lose.
- Why is the DLS target not just the run rate?
- Because wickets matter as much as overs. A team 100 for 1 has far more resource left than one 100 for 7, even after the same number of overs.