IPL 2026: IPL 2026 kicks off on March 28 with Royal Challengers Bengaluru facing Sunrisers Hyderabad in Bengaluru. However, unpredictable weather raises a pressing question: what happens if rain disrupts the opener?
This is where the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method (DLS) comes into play, providing cricket with a way to adjust the target when overs are lost due to interruptions such as rain.
What is the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern (DLS) Method in Cricket?
Rain is cricket’s wild card: it can stop play in an instant. In short-format matches, fair target resets become a high-stakes challenge for everyone watching.
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In these challenging situations, the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method recalibrates the target.
Why Does Cricket Need DLS?
Ideally, each match should proceed without interruption. Unfortunately, reality is quite different, as the concept of reserve days is rare, except in major tournaments.
As a result, games often lose overs because of incessant rain.
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Additionally, adjusting the run rate can affect the fairness of the game.
To address this, DLS steps up to answer one big question.
What, then, constitutes a fair target when both time and batting resources change?
The Core Idea Behind DLS
DLS considers a batting innings as a combination of two resources:
Overs remaining
Wickets in hand
The Formula (Simplified)
Revised target = Team 1 score × (Team 2 resources ÷ Team 1 resources)
A Quick Example
Team 1: 300 runs in 50 overs: 100% resources used
Team 2: Reduced to 30 overs with 7 wickets left: 70% resources available
New target = 300 × (70/100) = 210 runs
Now, Team 2 faces a chase: 210 runs in 30 overs—a target tailor-made for the twisty world of rain-affected cricket.
Other Methods
VJD method: Used in Indian domestic cricket but not yet ICC-approved.
DL Standard edition: The old-school way—outdated and reliant on pen, paper, and no computers.