In the game of cricket, target scores play a crucial role in determining the winner. But have you ever wondered how these target scores are calculated in case of an interruption during the match? This is where the Duckworth-Lewis (D/L) method comes into play. Named after English statisticians Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis, this method was first incorporated in 1997 and amended in 2014 as the DLS method, named after the present custodian, Steven Stern.
The DLS method takes into consideration only two resources in a game of cricket – overs remaining and wickets left. With the help of an evolving mathematical data, the value of these two resources is calculated as a percentage figure. While this system cannot factor in the reputation or ability of the chasing team while calculating revised targets for them, it does take into consideration the ‘batting first’ team’s likely aggressive approach to their innings before the match interruption.
The DLS target for the chasing team is calculated for at least five overs in a T20 match and 20 overs in an ODI match with the help of a formula. The formula is calculated as – Team 2’s par score = Team 1’s score x (Team 2’s resources/Team 1’s resources). The par score refers to the target the chasing team should reach/have reached after they are a certain number of wickets down, at the time the match was interrupted for some reason.
It is worth mentioning that while the chase is on, this DLS target keeps changing after almost every other delivery if the match keeps interrupting. For example, in case a team loses a wicket or two in their bid to keep up with the par score, the revised target for the next over will increase as ‘wickets left’ (the recourse) have further reduced.
The DLS method has been a revolutionary way to calculate target scores in cricket and has been used in many high-profile matches, including the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup final.
