The Duckworth Lewis calculator is used to decide which team in cricket won the match, and it is also used to set the target if the game is stopped due to rain. This DLS calculation is not simple, as it is not affected by human nature.

Welcome to the Duckworth-Lewis calculator.

What is the Duckworth Lewis Method?

The Duckworth Lewis Method (famous as the DLS method) is a mathematical formula used in a cricket match (limited overs) in cases where the match gets interrupted, usually by rain or any other circumstances.

The Duckworth Lewis Calculator is either used to calculate the target of a limited-over cricket match interrupted by rain or to decide the winner of the game. The DLS method was given by English statisticians Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis.

If you are a cricket fan, you must have heard about this method. But many cricket fans still don’t know about the DLS method and how the Duckworth Lewis Calculator works. In this article, we will explain you the DLS method in a simple way and also tell how the Duckworth Lewis Calculator works.

Every cricket fan is curious about the batting strike rate. As a curious fan, you can try our batting strike rate calculator to find out the batting strike rates.

How does the Duckworth Lewis Calculator work?

The DLS method is based on two resources:

  • Remaining over
  • Remaining wickets

A cricket match can be interrupted by rain either in the first innings of the game or in the second innings. The Duckworth Lewis Calculator works based on remaining resources with the team in that situation.

Does that sound complex? Let’s make it simple with an example.

Let’s suppose TEAM A scores 300 runs in 50 overs and gives a target of 301 runs to TEAM B. The second innings start and TEAM B comes to bat. They make 120 runs in 20 overs with a loss of 2 wickets and suddenly rain interrupts the play. The rain now doesn’t stop for the next 10 overs and match time of 10 overs has been washed out. Now TEAM B has only 20 overs in hand. The loss of 10 overs reduces the resources of TEAM B (remaining overs) so the Duckworth Lewis calculator comes into play and ensures a fair target for TEAM B in this situation.

The Duckworth Lewis Calculator uses this formula to calculate a fair target :

Team B target (DLS) = Team A score x (Team B resources / Team A resources)

In this case,

Team B target (DLS) = 300 x (85.1/100)
= 256 runs

This means according to the Duckworth Lewis Method, TEAM B now needs to score 256 runs in 40 overs.

But how do we calculate the resources left with Team B?

This is calculated using the DLS chart which converts the “overs left” and “wickets remaining “ into percentages.

Space for DLS Chart insertion

Like in the above example, TEAM A played 50 overs with 10 wickets which is 100% of their resource. But 10 overs were lost while TEAM B was batting. This means there is a loss of resources with TEAM B (10 overs lost to rain).

At 120/2 at 20 overs, the resources remaining with TEAM B is 67.3% (DLS chart), but due to the loss of 10 overs due to rain, only 20 overs are remaining. This reduces the resource of TEAM B to 52.4% (DLS chart).

The resources of TEAM B washed out in the rain  = 67.3-52.4
=14.9%

So while TEAM A played this match with 100% of their resources, TEAM B is playing with 85.1% (100-14.9) of their resources. These values in the Duckworth Lewis Calculator give a fair target to TEAM B (256 runs) for a fair match.

Takeaway

This is all about the Duckworth Lewis calculator. The team has tried to include all the required information about the DLS calculator. If you need any further assistance, don’t hesitate to contact us. Enjoy our online calculators!