How DLS Sets Rain-Affected Targets: A Step-by-Step Explanation
A clear walkthrough of how the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method calculates revised targets in rain-interrupted matches — the 'resources remaining' concept, par scores, the D/L tables, how the calculation changes when the team batting first is interrupted versus the team batting second, and why some results are controversial.
The Core Concept: Resources Remaining
The DLS method is built around the concept of 'resources' — a numerical representation of a batting team's remaining batting capacity at any point in their innings. Resources are a function of two variables: overs remaining and wickets remaining. A team that has faced no overs with all 10 wickets intact has 100% resources. A team that has faced 40 overs with 5 wickets remaining has used most of their resources. The DLS tables — calculated from a statistical analysis of thousands of match scores — assign specific resource percentages to every combination of overs remaining and wickets remaining.
When rain interrupts a match, the interruption removes a number of overs from the reduced innings. The DLS calculation identifies what percentage of resources each team had available and scales the target accordingly. The principle: if Team A scored 250 from 100% resources (full 50-over innings, all wickets intact at the start), and Team B is reduced to only 80% resources by rain, Team B's target should be proportionally less than 250. In practice, it's 80% of 250 = 200 (approximately — the actual calculation involves the DLS formula's specific tables rather than a simple proportion).
When Team Batting First Is Interrupted
If rain interrupts Team A's innings (the first team to bat), the match is typically reduced to fewer overs for both teams. DLS recalculates what Team A's total 'would have been' at the same stage in their innings if they had continued — using the resources they actually had (overs played, wickets down) versus the maximum resources. Team A's adjusted total becomes the target for Team B's shortened innings.
Example: England is batting first in a 50-over ODI and has scored 180 for 3 after 30 overs. Rain falls and 20 overs are lost. The match is reduced to 40 overs per team. DLS calculates what England's score should be adjusted to — they had used approximately 60% of their resources (30 overs, 3 wickets down) and have a target adjusted to a 40-over total. England does not continue batting from 30 overs; their 180-for-3 at the interruption point is translated through DLS into a target for Pakistan in 40 overs.
When the Chasing Team Is Interrupted
If rain interrupts Team B's innings (the chasing team), it typically reduces the number of overs available to Team B. The DLS method calculates the target for the revised number of overs by: finding what percentage of resources Team B had at the interruption point, finding what percentage of resources Team A had across their full innings, and calculating the revised target proportionally.
Simplified illustration: South Africa needs 302 from 50 overs (Team A scored 301). South Africa has scored 50 for 0 after 10 overs (many resources remaining). Rain reduces the match to 35 overs. DLS calculates: South Africa had approximately 75% of their resources remaining when the interruption occurred, and their new 35-over innings begins from the same point. The revised target (approximately 225 from 35 overs, depending on exact DLS tables) reflects the proportion of Team A's score achievable with South Africa's remaining resources.
Par Score and Why It Matters
The DLS 'par score' is the score a team would need to be level with the DLS target at any given point in their innings. If a match is called off mid-innings due to persistent rain, the team that is 'above par' wins. This makes the par score the live tiebreaker during a potentially-curtailed innings: batting teams track their par score over by over, and if rain becomes likely, they may accelerate to get above par — knowing that if the match is called off, they win on par score.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a minimum number of overs for a DLS result to be valid?
Yes — in ODI cricket, a match requires at least 20 overs to constitute a result (for ICC tournaments; some bilateral series have higher minimums). In T20 cricket, the minimum is 5 overs for a result. If insufficient overs are bowled (due to rain or other interruptions) to meet the minimum, the match is declared a no-result. The minimum overs apply to the team batting second — the chasing team must have received at least the minimum over allocation for any result to stand.
Why does DLS sometimes produce very different targets from what fans expect?
DLS targets can surprise because the resource tables are based on statistical patterns across thousands of matches, not on intuitive proportional scaling. When the match situation is unusual (very few wickets down, very aggressive first-innings scoring, or very heavy rain at a critical moment), the DLS target can diverge significantly from what a fan might calculate by simple proportion. The 1992 South Africa World Cup rain rule (not DLS — a different, simpler system) famously gave South Africa 21 runs off 1 ball to win, which highlighted exactly why a more sophisticated resource model was needed.
Can a team 'game' the DLS system by playing for the par score?
Teams do actively track the DLS par score and adjust their batting approach based on it. A team that is comfortably above par may take fewer risks (protecting wickets, knowing they win if rain arrives) while a team below par must accelerate. This creates tactical adjustments around the par score that are entirely legal — players are permitted to use any public information about match conditions, including the live DLS par score.