Guide · Bowling numbers
What is a good economy rate in cricket?
It depends on the format, whether the bowler is quick or slow and, in the IPL, the season. Below are real benchmarks from 727 bowlers in the Beat My 11 data: 143 in T20 internationals, 447 in ODIs and 137 in the IPL, each with at least 600 balls (100 overs) bowled.
Stats up to 5 October 2026 (ODI), 6 October 2026 (T20I) and 31 May 2026 (IPL).
Short answer. In T20 internationals about 7.76 an over is average, 7.19 is good and 6.81 or less is best-tenth. In ODIs, about 5.13 is average, 4.76 is good and 4.44 or less is best-tenth. In the IPL, “good” has moved from about 7.16 in 2008–12 to about 8.71 since 2023.
- Benchmarks
- Is my economy good?
- Pace or spin
- By nation
- The IPL got dearer
- Economy and wickets
- How we counted
The benchmarks
Each figure is a career economy rate in runs per over. Lower is better, so the best bowlers are at the left.
| Format | Bowlers | Best tenth | Best quarter | Median | Most expensive quarter from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T20I | 143 | 6.81 | 7.19 | 7.76 | 8.34 |
| ODI | 447 | 4.44 | 4.76 | 5.13 | 5.58 |
| IPL | 137 | 7.28 | 7.69 | 8.20 | 8.73 |
“Best tenth” means one bowler in ten concedes that many runs an over or fewer across his career.
Is my economy rate good?
The share of bowlers in our data who concede each mark or less per over.
| Format | Share of bowlers at this economy rate or better | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T20I | 7 or less: 17% | 7.5 or less: 43% | 8 or less: 56% | 9 or less: 95% |
| ODI | 4.5 or less: 11% | 5 or less: 40% | 5.5 or less: 70% | 6 or less: 91% |
| IPL | 7 or less: 4% | 7.5 or less: 19% | 8 or less: 39% | 9 or less: 85% |
Read it like this: 17% of T20I bowlers concede 7 an over or less, so a T20I bowler at 7 is in roughly the best 17%. In ODIs, 11% manage 4.5 or less.
Pace or spin
Median economy rate by bowling type.
| Format | Pace | Spin |
|---|---|---|
| T20I | 8.23 (88) | 7.13 (54) |
| ODI | 5.30 (281) | 4.91 (158) |
| IPL | 8.49 (89) | 7.64 (48) |
Number of bowlers in brackets.
Spinners are cheaper in all three formats: 1.10 runs an over less than pace bowlers in T20Is, 0.85 in the IPL and 0.39 in ODIs. So judge a quick bowler against other quick bowlers: a T20I seamer at 8.23 is in the middle of the pack for his type, not expensive.
By nation
Median economy rate of each nation’s bowlers in our data (ten nations; Afghanistan is not in the data).
| Nation | ODI | T20I |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 5.01 (51) | 7.67 (12) |
| Bangladesh | 5.08 (38) | 7.38 (13) |
| England | 5.29 (47) | 8.31 (15) |
| India | 5.13 (46) | 7.31 (14) |
| New Zealand | 5.23 (42) | 8.00 (15) |
| Pakistan | 5.12 (45) | 7.29 (18) |
| South Africa | 4.96 (43) | 7.72 (14) |
| Sri Lanka | 5.14 (48) | 8.17 (13) |
| West Indies | 5.12 (44) | 8.13 (17) |
| Zimbabwe | 5.17 (43) | 7.33 (12) |
The tightest ODI bowling nation by median is South Africa (4.96) and the most expensive England (5.29). In T20Is it is Pakistan (7.29) against England (8.31). Each nation has only 12 to 18 qualifying T20I bowlers, so treat small gaps there with care.
ODI bowling has got more expensive
Grouped by the decade a bowler made his ODI debut, the median economy rate goes from 4.64 for bowlers who started in the 1990s (69 bowlers) to 5.76 for those who started in the 2020s (48). So an economy rate of 4.5 from a bowler who started in the 2020s is a bigger feat than the same figure from one who started in the 1990s.
| Debut decade | Bowlers | Best quarter | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 7 | 4.31 | 4.69 |
| 1990s | 69 | 4.40 | 4.64 |
| 2000s | 167 | 4.75 | 5.05 |
| 2010s | 156 | 5.09 | 5.46 |
| 2020s | 48 | 5.21 | 5.76 |
Whole careers, grouped by when they started: a bowler who debuted in 2008 and is still playing counts in the 2000s.
In the IPL, every over costs more than it used to
The league figure is every run conceded and ball bowled in our IPL data for those seasons; the other columns are bowlers with at least 600 balls in that block (all franchises added together).
| Seasons | League | Bowlers | Best tenth | Best quarter | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–12 | 7.66 | 41 | 6.58 | 7.16 | 7.55 |
| 2013–17 | 8.00 | 38 | 7.05 | 7.52 | 7.90 |
| 2018–22 | 8.26 | 48 | 7.10 | 7.49 | 8.20 |
| 2023–now | 9.37 | 41 | 8.01 | 8.71 | 9.19 |
An economy rate of 8 was in the most expensive quarter in 2008–12; it is inside the best tenth in 2023–now. The Beat My 11 IPL game treats each player at one franchise in one block of seasons for exactly this reason. See how individual bowlers’ numbers moved on IPL careers, stint by stint.
Economy is only half the story
A bowler who never takes wickets lets the batters settle; one who takes them often can afford to cost a few more runs. Two other numbers help: the bowling average (runs per wicket) and balls per wicket (how often he strikes).
| Format | Median economy | Median average | Best-quarter average | Median balls per wicket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T20I | 7.76 | 23.9 | 21.3 | 18.5 |
| ODI | 5.13 | 33.8 | 29.4 | 39.1 |
| IPL | 8.20 | 29.2 | 25.9 | 21.2 |
The most economical qualifying bowlers in each format, with their wickets and averages:
| Bowler | Nation | Type | Wickets | Economy | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Vettori | New Zealand | spin | 38 | 5.70 | 19.7 |
| Sunil Narine | West Indies | spin | 52 | 6.02 | 21.3 |
| Samuel Badree | West Indies | spin | 56 | 6.18 | 21.1 |
| Imad Wasim | Pakistan | spin | 73 | 6.20 | 21.8 |
| Harbhajan Singh | India | spin | 25 | 6.21 | 25.3 |
| Bowler | Nation | Type | Wickets | Economy | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shaun Pollock | South Africa | pace | 393 | 3.68 | 24.5 |
| Glenn McGrath | Australia | pace | 381 | 3.88 | 22.0 |
| Wasim Akram | Pakistan | pace | 502 | 3.90 | 23.5 |
| Muttiah Muralitharan | Sri Lanka | spin | 534 | 3.93 | 23.1 |
| Ray Price | Zimbabwe | spin | 100 | 3.99 | 35.8 |
| Bowler | Teams | Type | Wickets | Economy | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anil Kumble | RCB | spin | 45 | 6.58 | 23.5 |
| Muttiah Muralitharan | CSK, KTK, RCB | spin | 63 | 6.68 | 26.9 |
| Sunil Narine | KKR | spin | 207 | 6.79 | 25.4 |
| Daniel Vettori | DC, RCB | spin | 28 | 6.79 | 31.4 |
| Dale Steyn | DEC, GL, RCB, SRH | pace | 97 | 6.92 | 25.9 |
How we counted
- Who is counted: bowlers with at least 600 balls (100 overs) in the format, so that a few good or bad spells cannot skew the picture.
- Which economy rate: official career figures for ODI and T20I bowlers where the site holds them (HowSTAT), ball-by-ball figures otherwise. IPL figures are all from ball-by-ball data and cover every season.
- Pace or spin is the bowling type recorded for each player in the game’s data; 9 ODI and T20I bowlers without a recorded type are left out of that table only.
- Who is in the data: players from the ten nations in the game, and 744 IPL players. Afghanistan’s matches are not in Cricsheet’s data, so Afghan players are missing.
- Test cricket is left out because most of our Test records have no balls bowled.
- Percentiles are worked out by linear interpolation, the same way a spreadsheet’s PERCENTILE function does it.
Questions people ask
What is economy rate in cricket?
A bowler’s economy rate is the runs conceded per over (six balls): runs conceded ÷ balls bowled × 6. A bowler who gives away 30 runs in four overs has an economy rate of 7.5. Lower is better.
What is a good economy rate in T20 cricket?
Among the 143 T20I bowlers in our data with at least 600 balls (100 overs), the median economy rate is 7.76. The best quarter concede 7.19 or less and the best tenth 6.81 or less. Spinners are cheaper than pace bowlers: a median of 7.13 against 8.23.
What is a good economy rate in ODI cricket?
The median ODI bowler in our data concedes 5.13 an over (447 bowlers with 600+ balls). 4.76 or less puts a bowler in the best quarter and 4.44 or less in the best tenth.
Is 7 economy good in ODI?
No: in ODIs it is expensive. None of the 447 ODI bowlers in our data concedes more than 7 an over across his career (the most expensive concedes 6.76), and 91% concede 6 or less. In T20 cricket, on the other hand, 7 is very good: only 17% of T20I bowlers manage 7 or less.
What is a good economy rate in the IPL?
Over all seasons the median IPL bowler in our data (137 with 600+ balls) concedes 8.20 an over. But the IPL as a whole went from 7.66 runs an over in 2008–12 to 9.37 in 2023–now, so an economy of 8 was in the most expensive quarter in 2008–12 and is inside the best tenth in 2023–now.
What is a good economy rate in Test cricket?
We cannot answer that from our data: most of the Test records we hold have no balls bowled, so an economy rate cannot be worked out for them. Rather than guess, this page leaves Tests out.
Know what tight looks like? Draft an IPL XI from real stints and see if it beats the All-Star XI.
Draft an IPL XISources and data
Ball-by-ball match data: Cricsheet, used under the Open Data Commons Attribution licence (ODC-By). IPL figures cover every season from 2008 to the date above.
Official career economy rates and wickets for ODI and T20I bowlers come from HowSTAT career tables, exported by the site owner. Bowlers without an official line keep their ball-by-ball figures.