IPL net run rate: how it is calculated & how ties are broken
Net run rate (NRR) is a team's scoring rate minus the rate it concedes, across the whole league stage. It only matters when teams finish level on points and on wins, and in 2026 it decided the top three places.
The formula
NRR = (total runs scored ÷ total overs faced) − (total runs conceded ÷ total overs bowled). Overs are counted as balls ÷ 6, so 18.4 overs is 18⅔.
- A team bowled out inside its allotted overs is counted as having faced the full allocation (20 overs, or fewer in a shortened match).
- In a DLS result, the side batting first is credited with one run fewer than the target, over the overs allotted to the side batting second.
- Matches that end without a result are left out of the calculation.
Worked example: Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2026
Royal Challengers Bengaluru scored 2642 runs in 254.2 overs, a rate of 10.388. They conceded 2619 runs in 272.4 overs, a rate of 9.605. NRR = 10.388 − 9.605 = +0.783.
Tie-break order
- Points (two for a win, one for a no result).
- Number of wins.
- Net run rate.
- Wickets taken per fair ball bowled.
- Drawing lots.
How NRR shaped the 2026 table
3 teams finished on 18 points with nine wins each, so net run rate set the order: RCB +0.783, GT +0.695, SRH +0.524. First and second went into Qualifier 1 with a second chance if they lost. SRH, third, had to play the Eliminator and lost it to RR by 47 runs. Punjab Kings, fifth on 15 points including one no result, missed the playoffs by a single point.
| # | Team | Pts | W | Runs/overs for | Rate for | Runs/overs against | Rate against | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RCB | 18 | 9 | 2642/254.2 | 10.388 | 2619/272.4 | 9.605 | +0.783 |
| 2 | GT | 18 | 9 | 2558/270.4 | 9.451 | 2434/278 | 8.755 | +0.695 |
| 3 | SRH | 18 | 9 | 2854/276.1 | 10.334 | 2675/272.4 | 9.811 | +0.524 |
| 4 | RR | 16 | 8 | 2619/259.4 | 10.086 | 2649/267.4 | 9.897 | +0.189 |
| 5 | PBKS | 15 | 7 | 2711/250 | 10.844 | 2718/258 | 10.535 | +0.309 |
| 6 | DC | 14 | 7 | 2559/272.4 | 9.385 | 2581/257.1 | 10.036 | -0.651 |
| 7 | KKR | 13 | 6 | 2284/251.1 | 9.094 | 2384/258 | 9.240 | -0.147 |
| 8 | CSK | 12 | 6 | 2530/275 | 9.200 | 2512/263.1 | 9.545 | -0.345 |
| 9 | MI | 8 | 4 | 2553/268.4 | 9.502 | 2636/261.2 | 10.087 | -0.584 |
| 10 | LSG | 8 | 4 | 2514/275.3 | 9.125 | 2616/265.1 | 9.865 | -0.740 |
Full results are on the IPL 2026 page; the rest of the playing conditions are under IPL rules.