The DLS method in cricket, short for the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, is the mathematical system used to set a fair revised target when rain or another interruption shortens a limited-overs match. If you have ever seen a confusing new target flash up after a rain delay, this guide explains, in plain English, how the DLS method works and why it is needed.
Why cricket needs the DLS method
When rain cuts overs from a match, you cannot just reduce the target in proportion to the overs lost. That would be unfair, because a chasing team knows exactly how many overs it has and can attack from the start, while the side that batted first did not have that luxury. The DLS method in cricket fixes this by accounting for both the overs remaining and the wickets in hand, the two resources a batting team really has.
The idea of resources
The heart of DLS is the concept of resources. At the start of a 50-over innings with all ten wickets standing, a team has 100 percent of its resources. As overs are bowled and wickets fall, that percentage drops. A published resource table gives the percentage left for any combination of overs remaining and wickets lost, and the system compares how much resource each team had to adjust the target.
A simple worked example
Imagine Team A bats first in a 50-over match and scores 250, then rain cuts Team B’s chase short. Suppose the tables show Team B is left with 90 percent of the resources Team A had available. The revised par score is roughly 250 multiplied by 0.90, which is 225, and the official target is one run more, so 226 to win. The exact figure comes from certified DLS software, but the logic is simple: fewer resources means a proportionally lower target.
There is an important twist that surprises beginners. If the team batting second loses overs but still has plenty of wickets in hand, the revised target can be higher than a simple over-for-over cut would suggest, because the chasing side can now attack from the start with wickets to spare. This is exactly the unfairness the old over-reduction methods created, and it is why DLS counts wickets as well as overs.
A second worked example with a resource table
Let us put real numbers to the idea. The table below shows the rounded resource percentage a side has at the start of a chase when its innings is reduced to a set number of overs, with all ten wickets in hand. These figures come from the standard DLS resource table.
| Overs available to Team B | Resource percentage |
|---|---|
| 50 overs | 100.0 |
| 45 overs | 95.0 |
| 40 overs | 89.3 |
| 35 overs | 82.7 |
| 30 overs | 75.1 |
| 25 overs | 66.5 |
| 20 overs | 56.6 |
Now suppose Team A bats its full 50 overs and posts 264, using 100 percent of its resources. Steady drizzle then delays the chase, and the umpires reset Team B’s innings to 35 overs before a ball is bowled. The step-by-step working:
- Look up Team B’s resources for a 35-over chase from full strength: 82.7 percent.
- Team A used 100 percent, so Team B has less batting resource than Team A had.
- Scale the first-innings score by the ratio: 264 multiplied by 0.827, which is about 218.
- That 218 is the par score, so the official target to win is one run more, 219 off 35 overs.
Notice the target dropped from 265 to 219, a cut of 46 runs for 15 lost overs, not a flat 30 percent reduction. That is because the table is not a straight line: early overs are worth fewer resources per over than the middle and death overs, where wickets in hand let a team accelerate.
What the DLS target and par score mean
During a rain-affected chase you will often see a par score on screen. This is the score the chasing team should be at, for the overs and wickets used, to be level under DLS. If the team is ahead of par when play is abandoned, it wins, if it is behind, it loses. This is why a side sometimes celebrates a rain-shortened win without facing another ball: they were ahead of par.
Because the par score depends on wickets as well as overs, it can jump up or down during the innings. Lose a wicket and the par figure you must stay ahead of rises, since your remaining resources have dropped. Smart chasing teams in rain-threatened games therefore protect wickets rather than chase glory, wanting to be on the right side of par if a storm ends the match.
Reading the par score over by over
It helps to picture how the on-screen par figure behaves in a tense, rain-threatened chase. Say Team B needs 220 and the clouds are gathering. Here is how the par score can move:
- After 15 overs, 1 wicket down, score 70: the par figure might read 64. Team B is six runs ahead of par, so if rain ends the game now, they win.
- A wicket falls next over: with fewer resources left, par instantly climbs, perhaps to 78. The same score of 70 is now eight runs behind par, and Team B would lose on a stoppage.
- They rebuild to 95 after 22 overs without losing another wicket: par may sit around 92, nudging them back ahead.
This is why captains keep glancing at the dressing-room sheet during drizzle. Staying a comfortable margin above par is often safer than gambling on big shots before the covers come on for good.
DLS versus net run rate
Beginners sometimes confuse DLS with net run rate, but they do different jobs. DLS sets a fair target inside a single rain-hit match, while net run rate is a tournament tie-breaker across several matches. If you want to understand the latter, see our explainer on what net run rate in cricket is and how it is calculated.
Real examples and the human factor
The DLS method has decided many big games. India have both won and lost rain-affected matches on revised targets, and World Cup knockouts have hinged on the par score during showers. The system replaced cruder methods like the “most productive overs” rule of the 1992 World Cup semi-final, when South Africa were left needing an impossible 22 runs off one ball after rain. DLS, refined by statistician Steven Stern, is far fairer, though it cannot please everyone in a tight finish. Conditions matter too, so reading a cricket pitch report before the match helps you judge whether a revised target is gettable.
A famous DLS finish: South Africa’s 2003 heartbreak
One of the most painful examples came at the 2003 World Cup, hosted by South Africa. In a rain-hit group game against Sri Lanka in Durban, the home side needed to stay ahead of the par score to progress. Mark Boucher blocked the last ball before the rain returned, believing they were safely past the mark. In fact they had reached exactly the par score, which counts as a tie, not a win. They needed one more run.
The rain never let up, the match was tied under the method, and South Africa were knocked out of their own World Cup. The lesson is simple but vital: being level with par is not enough, you must be clearly past it, because a tie does not win a knockout. It remains the most quoted cautionary tale about misreading DLS.
Common beginner mistakes about DLS
A few misunderstandings come up again and again when people first meet the method. Clearing them up makes every rain-hit finish easier to follow:
- Thinking the target is cut in proportion to overs lost. It is not. Wickets in hand matter as much as overs, so a side with all its wickets is barely penalised for losing a few overs.
- Believing par means the target. Par is the level score, a tie. The winning target is always one run more than par.
- Assuming DLS predicts how the game would have ended. It only sets a fair mark based on resources and historical scoring patterns, not on form or momentum on the day.
- Expecting a result no matter how little play happens. If the minimum overs are not bowled, the game is simply a no result.
Limitations of the DLS method
DLS is not perfect. It is built on historical scoring patterns, so very high-scoring T20 surfaces or unusual collapses can make a revised target feel slightly off. It also cannot know how a team would actually have batted, so a side about to launch into the death overs may feel hard done by if rain freezes the game. A more advanced version used in major events, the DLS Professional Edition, handles very high first-innings totals better than the simpler edition seen in club cricket. Even so, DLS remains the fairest practical system and the standard for international cricket. You can read the official playing conditions on the International Cricket Council website.
Frequently asked questions
What does DLS stand for in cricket?
DLS stands for Duckworth-Lewis-Stern, named after the two statisticians Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis who created it, and Steven Stern who later refined it. It is the official method for resetting targets in limited-overs cricket when rain or another stoppage reduces the number of overs available.
How is the DLS target calculated?
The DLS method works out how much batting resource, a combination of overs remaining and wickets in hand, each team had. It then scales the first innings score by the ratio of resources to set a fair revised target. Certified software does the exact calculation using published resource tables.
What is a par score under DLS?
The par score is the total the chasing team needs to have reached, for the overs and wickets it has used, to be exactly level under DLS. If play is stopped for good, a team ahead of par wins and a team behind par loses, which is why the par score is shown during rain delays.
How many overs are needed for a DLS result?
In a one-day international, each side must usually face at least 20 overs for a DLS result to stand, while in a T20 the minimum is normally 5 overs per side. If fewer overs are bowled, the match is generally declared no result rather than decided on DLS.
Can the DLS target be higher than the original score?
Yes. If the team batting first is interrupted and loses overs while still having wickets in hand, the chasing side may be set a target above the first-innings total. The extra runs compensate the first team for the scoring it lost, keeping both sides on equal resources.
Does DLS work the same in T20 cricket?
The principle is identical, but the resource values differ because T20 scoring patterns are far more aggressive. The method uses separate calculations suited to the shorter format, and the minimum is five overs per side. In tight T20 run-chases the par score can swing sharply with every wicket.
Conclusion
The DLS method in cricket may look like complicated maths, but the core idea is simple and fair: measure the batting resources each team had and adjust the target to match. Remember resources, par score and the over minimums, and the next rain-hit finish will make perfect sense.
