The Duckworth Lewis Stern method adjusts a rain-affected cricket chase using the scoring resources available to each side, principally overs remaining and wickets lost. A DLS par score is the score for a tie at a particular stoppage. A revised winning target is one run higher than the corresponding tie score. Confusing those two numbers can make a rain interruption look much more mysterious than it is.
The ICC's official DLS section links the methodology and resource material. The current men's ODI and T20I playing conditions also specify how a revised target or an abandoned chase is handled. This guide uses the October 2026 conditions, checked on 12 November 2026, rather than treating every competition as having identical rain rules.
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Resources | Scoring opportunity associated with remaining overs and wickets |
| Par score | The tie score at the relevant suspension point |
| Revised target | The whole-number score required to win a shortened chase |
| Ordinary minimum in these conditions | 20 overs for men's ODIs and five for men's T20Is, subject to result exceptions |
How does the DLS method calculate a target?
The starting idea is that a team has two limited assets: balls to face and wickets to spend. Losing ten overs does not remove the same scoring opportunity in every innings situation. A side with most of its wickets intact has a different remaining opportunity from a side that has already lost nearly all of them. DLS assesses that combination.
This explains why a revised chase cannot reliably be calculated by multiplying the first innings total by the proportion of overs left. Straight run-rate scaling ignores wickets and the timing of the interruption. It also overlooks the possibility that the team batting first had to change its approach after unexpectedly losing part of its own innings.
The methodology document describes resource percentages and distinguishes the Standard Edition from the professional method. Its public Standard Edition tables should not be presented as a way to reproduce every official international target. A calculator that does not identify its edition and inputs can give readers false confidence even when its arithmetic is correct.
A resource comparison can produce a higher target as well as a lower one. If the first side unexpectedly loses part of its innings, the second side may have more effective scoring resources available. The adjustment then addresses that advantage. This is why the revised target should be read with the full interruption history, rather than judged solely against the number of overs printed beside it.
What is the difference between DLS par score and target?
For a simple illustration, suppose the official par score at the moment a chase is permanently stopped is 120. A chasing total of 121 is one above par; 120 is level with it; 119 is one below. Under the applicable abandoned-chase provision, those positions mean a one-run win, a tie, or a one-run defeat. These are invented teaching figures, not scores from a match.
A target shown for resumed play answers a different practical question: what total must the chasing side reach over its revised allocation? The October 2026 conditions say that this is a whole number and that one run less constitutes a tie. Always check whether a broadcast graphic is showing par at the current point or the winning target for the remaining chase.
Do not keep using a par score noted several deliveries earlier after more balls or another wicket. The relevant comparison for a chase that cannot resume is the par score at the actual suspension. A wicket changes the resources remaining, which is precisely why a running DLS figure can move even when very few runs have been scored.
How many overs are needed for a DLS result?
The men's ODI conditions use a 20-over minimum for the ordinary interrupted-match provisions. The men's T20I conditions use five. Separate result provisions cover situations such as a side completing a successful chase earlier, so these numbers should not be described as a requirement to continue playing after a result has already been achieved.
A tournament can have its own competition conditions, including reserve-day arrangements or a different minimum for particular matches. Check the document for that event before deciding whether rain means a result, a postponement or no result. The format label alone is not a complete account of a knockout match's requirements.
Related explainers cover net run rate calculations, Super Over rules and rain-reduced ODI powerplays. Each answers a separate question: a table statistic, a tie procedure, or a fielding restriction should not be substituted for the official DLS target.
