Guide · Bowling numbers
What is a good bowling average in ODIs, T20Is and the IPL?
A bowling average is the number of runs a bowler concedes for each wicket he takes, so lower is better. Below are real benchmarks from 727 bowlers in the Beat My 11 data: 447 in ODIs, 143 in T20 internationals and 137 in the IPL, each with at least 600 balls bowled and at least one wicket.
The short version: the median is 33.8 in ODIs, 23.9 in T20Is and 29.2 in the IPL.
Stats up to 5 October 2026 (ODI), 6 October 2026 (T20I) and 31 May 2026 (IPL).
Short answer. In ODIs a bowling average of about 33.8 is average, 29.4 or lower is good and 25.3 or lower is elite. In T20Is the figures are 23.9, 21.3 and 19.3; in the IPL 29.2, 25.9 and 23.5. Lower is better.
The benchmarks
“Median” is the middle bowler: half average more runs per wicket, half fewer. The best quarter and best tenth are the lowest averages.
| Format | Bowlers | Best tenth at or below | Best quarter at or below | Median | Weaker quarter from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ODI | 447 | 25.3 | 29.4 | 33.8 | 39.9 |
| T20I | 143 | 19.3 | 21.3 | 23.9 | 26.9 |
| IPL | 137 | 23.5 | 25.9 | 29.2 | 32.8 |
Averages are tighter in T20 cricket than in ODIs: the gap between the best tenth and the weaker quarter is 14.6 runs per wicket in ODIs but only 7.6 in T20Is. Read this page with what is a good economy rate.
Is my average good?
The share of bowlers in each format who average at or below each mark:
| Average of at most | Share of bowlers | Bowlers |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | 9% | 39 |
| 30 | 31% | 137 |
| 35 | 55% | 245 |
| 40 | 75% | 335 |
| Average of at most | Share of bowlers | Bowlers |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 12% | 17 |
| 25 | 59% | 85 |
| 30 | 87% | 124 |
| 35 | 97% | 138 |
| Average of at most | Share of bowlers | Bowlers |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 1% | 1 |
| 25 | 19% | 26 |
| 30 | 58% | 79 |
| 35 | 85% | 117 |
Pace and spin
The median career average by bowling type, using the type the game gives each bowler. Where fewer than five bowlers hold a type in a format it is left out.
| Type | ODI median | T20I median | IPL median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pace | 31.7 | 24.6 | 29.0 |
| Spin | 37.8 | 23.0 | 29.6 |
In ODIs pace bowlers average 31.7 and spinners 37.8, a gap of 6.1 runs per wicket. In T20Is the two types are much closer (24.6 for pace, 23.0 for spin).
The lowest averages
The eight lowest career averages in each format among bowlers with at least 600 balls bowled.
| Bowler | Nation | Wickets | Average | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usman Shinwari | Pakistan | 34 | 18.6 | 5.0 |
| Ryan Harris | Australia | 44 | 18.9 | 4.8 |
| Nahid Rana | Bangladesh | 32 | 20.6 | 4.7 |
| Shane Bond | New Zealand | 147 | 20.9 | 4.3 |
| Abrar Ahmed | Pakistan | 35 | 21.5 | 4.3 |
| Saqlain Mushtaq | Pakistan | 288 | 21.8 | 4.3 |
| Allan Donald | South Africa | 272 | 21.8 | 4.2 |
| Ajantha Mendis | Sri Lanka | 152 | 21.9 | 4.8 |
| Bowler | Nation | Wickets | Average | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kuldeep Yadav | India | 95 | 13.8 | 7.0 |
| Ajantha Mendis | Sri Lanka | 66 | 14.4 | 6.5 |
| Imran Tahir | South Africa | 63 | 15.1 | 6.7 |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | Sri Lanka | 163 | 16.2 | 7.1 |
| Al-Amin Hossain | Bangladesh | 43 | 16.6 | 7.1 |
| Graeme Swann | England | 51 | 16.8 | 6.4 |
| Umar Gul | Pakistan | 85 | 17.0 | 7.0 |
| Varun Chakravarthy | India | 75 | 17.4 | 7.6 |
| Bowler | Teams | Wickets | Average | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lasith Malinga | MI | 170 | 19.8 | 7.1 |
| Lungi Ngidi | CSK, DC, RCB | 42 | 20.7 | 8.4 |
| Imran Tahir | CSK, DC, RPS | 82 | 20.8 | 7.8 |
| Matheesha Pathirana | CSK, KKR | 47 | 21.8 | 8.7 |
| Kagiso Rabada | DC, GT, PBKS | 148 | 22.7 | 8.8 |
| Nathan Coulter-Nile | DC, KKR, MI, RR | 48 | 22.9 | 7.7 |
| Munaf Patel | GL, MI, RR | 74 | 22.9 | 7.5 |
| Mitchell Starc | DC, KKR, RCB | 76 | 23.0 | 8.8 |
A low average with a high economy rate means a bowler who is expensive but takes wickets; a low economy with a higher average, one who is tight but takes fewer. The Beat My 11 engine weighs average, wickets per match, economy and how quickly a bowler takes wickets together. The full method is on how it works.
How we counted
- Who is counted: bowlers with at least 600 balls bowled and at least one wicket, so that a few overs cannot skew the picture. The same minimum is used on the economy-rate guide.
- Who is in the data: players from the ten nations in the game. Afghanistan is not included, because Cricsheet withholds its matches.
- IPL careers add up every franchise a player turned out for.
- Test cricket has its own pages: good Test bowling average.
- Percentiles use linear interpolation, as a spreadsheet’s PERCENTILE function does.
Questions people ask
What is a good bowling average in ODI cricket?
Lower is better. Among the 447 ODI bowlers in our data with at least 600 balls bowled, the median average is 33.8. 29.4 or lower puts a bowler in the best quarter and 25.3 or lower in the best tenth.
What is a good bowling average in T20 cricket?
In T20 internationals (143 bowlers, 600+ balls) the median is 23.9; 21.3 or lower is the best quarter and 19.3 or lower the best tenth. In the IPL (137 bowlers) the median is 29.2.
What does a bowling average mean?
A bowling average is the runs a bowler concedes for each wicket he takes: runs conceded ÷ wickets. Conceding 2,500 runs for 100 wickets is an average of 25. The lower the number, the cheaper each wicket.
Is a bowling average of 25 good in ODIs?
Yes, it is excellent: only 9% of the ODI bowlers in our data average 25 or less. In T20Is 59% do, so 25 is close to the middle there (the median is 23.9).
Is an economy rate more important than an average?
Neither tells the whole story. Economy measures how few runs a bowler gives away, average how many it costs to get a wicket. A bowler who takes wickets cheaply can win a match even if he is expensive; one who is very tight can win it without wickets. See what is a good economy rate for the other half.
Know what a good bowling average looks like? Draft an attack from real career numbers and see if it beats the World XI.
Draft a T20I 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 full-career bowling lines for many ODI and T20I bowlers come from HowSTAT career tables, exported by the site owner. For the rest the average was measured on the ball-by-ball matches Cricsheet holds.