The Complete Guide to the DLS Method (Standard Edition)
By Arshi Khan, Founder of Just4Marketing · Last reviewed October 2026
When rain or bad light shortens a limited-overs cricket match, the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method sets a fair revised target for the team batting second. This guide explains how the Standard Edition works, why a stoppage in the first innings can raise the target above the first team's score, and how to enter even complicated matches with several interruptions.
How DLS thinks about resources
DLS treats a batting side as having two resources: overs to face and wickets in hand. The Standard Edition table gives the percentage of a full 50-over innings' resources remaining for every combination of overs left (ball by ball) and wickets lost. With 50 overs left and no wickets down, a side has 100%; with 20 overs left and 3 down, it has 49.1%.
Each stoppage costs a side the difference between the resource remaining when play stopped and the resource remaining after the overs are cut. Adding up those losses gives R1 for Team 1 and R2 for Team 2, and the target is set by comparing the two.
The two target formulas
| Situation | Par score (to tie) | Target |
|---|---|---|
| R2 less than R1 | S × R2 ÷ R1, rounded down | Par + 1 |
| R2 equal to R1 | S | S + 1 |
| R2 greater than R1 | S + G50 × (R2 − R1) ÷ 100, rounded down | Par + 1 |
S is Team 1's final score. If a match is abandoned during Team 2's innings, the remaining resource is treated as lost, and Team 2's score is compared with the par score at that moment to decide the result.
Worked examples from the ICC playing conditions
These examples are published by the ICC, and the calculator above reproduces each of them exactly.
| Match situation | R1 | R2 | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team 1 79/3 after 20 overs, cut to 40; total 180. Team 2 gets 40 overs | 87.5% | 89.3% | 185 |
| 45-over match, Team 1 scores 212. Team 2 delayed and cut to 35 overs | 95.0% | 82.7% | 185 |
| Team 1 scores 250 in 50 overs. Team 2 40/1 after 12, then 10 overs lost | 100% | 86.8% | 218 |
| Team 1 226/8 when rain ends innings at 47.1 overs. Team 2 gets 33 overs | 93.1% | 79.8% | 194 |
Entering an interrupted match
Use cricket notation for overs
20.3 means 20 overs and 3 balls. The calculator uses the ball-by-ball table, so mid-over stoppages are handled exactly.
Record the revised length, not the overs lost
For each stoppage, enter the innings' total overs after play restarts — for example 40 if a 50-over innings was cut by 10 overs. If the innings never resumed, tick 'did not resume'.
Add every stoppage, in order
Both innings can have as many interruptions as needed. Each one reduces that side's resources from the allocation left by the one before.
Check Team 2's starting overs
By default Team 2 gets the same overs Team 1 ended with. If a delay between innings cut them further, enter the new number.
Source: ICC playing conditions, "Duckworth-Lewis methodology for re-calculating the target score in an interrupted match" (Standard Edition), and the ECB's 2023 D/L/S regulations, which use the same Standard Edition table. Professional matches use the DLS Professional Edition software, whose figures can differ.
Frequently asked questions
Why can Team 2's target be higher than Team 1's score?
If Team 1's innings is cut short while they are batting, they lose resources they had been pacing their innings to use — they batted expecting more overs. Team 2 knows its reduced allocation from the start, so it has more resources (R2 is greater than R1). The Standard Edition then adds G50 × (R2 − R1) ÷ 100 runs to Team 1's score.
Why do different DLS calculators give different targets?
The most common reason is that a calculator only allows interruptions to the second innings, so a stoppage during Team 1's innings is ignored and the target comes out too low. Others use a different G50 value, or the Professional Edition, which is software run by match officials and can differ from the published Standard Edition table, especially for high first-innings scores.
Which G50 should I use?
The ICC sets G50 at 245 for matches involving full member nations, Under-19 internationals, and first-class teams, and recommends 200 for associate members, women's ODIs, and Under-15 internationals. For club and league cricket, use your competition's published value, or the average first-innings score in an uninterrupted 50-over match at that level.
How many overs are needed for a result?
Under standard ICC playing conditions, Team 2 must face at least 20 overs in a one-day international, or 5 overs in a T20 international, for a result to be decided by DLS. Competitions can set their own minimums, so check your league's rules.
Does this work for T20 or 40-over matches?
Yes. The same table covers every match length up to 50 overs per side; the starting resource is simply lower. A 20-over innings starts with 56.6% of a full 50-over innings' resources, for example.