Bowling Economy
Definition
Bowling economy measures how many runs a bowler concedes per over. Lower is better. It is the primary measure of containment in limited-overs cricket.
Formula
economy = runs_conceded / overs_bowled
= (runs_conceded * 6) / balls_bowled
Cricket Interpretation
Economy must be read against phase. An economy of 8.0 is poor in the powerplay but good at the death, where batters attack and yorkers leak boundaries less than full tosses. Always state the phase or note that it is a full-innings figure.
Required Inputs
runs_conceded— runs off the bowler (including wides/no-balls per scoring convention)balls_bowled— legal deliveries bowled
Applicable Formats & Leagues
T20 and ODIs (IPL, MLC); central to T20 bowling evaluation.
Sample-Size Floor
≥ 15 balls bowled in the scope before economy is treated as a rankable rate. See Sample-Size Floors.
Edge Cases
- Conceding conventions for extras follow CricketStudio's ball-by-ball capture.
- A bowler with one tidy over has a flattering economy — the floor exists to prevent this.
- Phase economy requires the phase floor.
Ranking Rule
Rank ascending (lower is better) among floor-eligible bowlers. Tiebreak by more balls bowled, then by more wickets.
Known Limitations
- Economy ignores wickets — a containing bowler who never takes wickets may still let a game drift. Pair with Bowling Strike Rate.
- Phase and match situation strongly affect interpretation.
Example Questions
- "What is Jasprit Bumrah's IPL 2026 economy, and over how many overs?"
- "Who is the most economical bowler at the death this season among eligible bowlers?"