The DLS method (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern) is a mathematical formula used in cricket to adjust the target score for the team batting second in a limited-overs match affected by rain or other interruptions. The DLS method is an attempt to set a statistically fair target for the second teams innings, which is the same difficulty as the original target. The basic principle is that each team in a limited-overs match has two resources available with which to score runs (overs to play and wickets remaining), and the target is adjusted proportionally to the change in the combination of these two resources. The DLS method was introduced to provide a fair and equitable way to determine target scores in such situations, taking into account the overs lost to the weather.

The DLS method is calculated by factoring in each teams resources. Each team starts with a certain number of overs to play and a certain number of wickets remaining. The target is then adjusted proportionally to the change in the combination of these two resources. The par score is the total that a chasing team should have reached – when they are ‘X’ wickets down – at the time of interruption while the target score is the revised score that a team is required to get after an interruption. The target score is one fixed number, while the par score changes according to the number of wickets lost. The par scores are calculated before an interruption, while targets are calculated after an interruption.

The DLS method is a brainchild of Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis, who were trying to give a better alternative for cricket matches affected by rain. The DLS method was first used in a match between Zimbabwe and England on January 1, 1997, and later officially adopted by ICCs calculation method for rain-affected games in 1999...