Opening Partnership Runs: T20 and ODI Averages and Betting Lines
Opening stands look generous on average, but the typical T20 partnership is far smaller. Here is how often common lines are beaten, by format and competition.
Opening partnership markets look simple: one number, over or under. The trap is that the quoted line often feels like an average, and averages mislead in this market. I went through 6,169 men's T20 matches and 1,725 ODIs, 2002-2026, to see how many runs come before the first wicket and how often common lines are beaten.
The headline: the T20 opening stand averages 30.0 runs but its median is just 20, so it beat 20.5 in only 48.5% of innings. In ODIs the average is 38.2 and the median 23. If you have come here from my today's cricket predictions page, this is the base rate I check before I look at the pitch.
1ODI openers outscore every T20 league before the first wicket
The bars rank average opening stands by format and competition. ODIs sit on top at 38.2 runs, which makes structural sense: openers have time to see off the new ball and are rarely forced to swing from the first over. Among T20 leagues the IPL leads at 33.4, with the BPL lowest at 25.4.
That spread between top and bottom league is the first conditions signal I use. Slower, lower surfaces and stronger new-ball attacks compress the stand, while true pitches and short boundaries stretch it.
View the data: average opening partnership
| Runs before the first wicket, all completed innings | |
|---|---|
| ODI | 38.2 runs |
| IPL | 33.4 runs |
| PSL | 31.4 runs |
| SA20 | 31.3 runs |
| T20 Blast | 30.6 runs |
| T20I | 29.7 runs |
| LPL | 29.6 runs |
| BBL | 28.9 runs |
| Super Smash | 28.6 runs |
| MLC | 28.2 runs |
| ILT20 | 28.1 runs |
| CPL | 26.9 runs |
| BPL | 25.4 runs |
I would not price a line off these bars alone, though. The average is the wrong number for an over/under market, as the next chart shows.
2Almost a third of opening stands die under ten runs
This chart splits each innings into four size buckets. In T20 cricket 29.7% of opening stands batting first ended under 10 runs while 20.9% reached 50; for chasing sides the figures were 31.4% and 19.9%. That is the shape of the market: a heavy cluster of early failures and a long tail of big stands.
The early failures are no accident. In T20 cricket the first wicket fell inside the six-over powerplay in 83.1% of innings, on average in over 4.0. ODIs show the same split with a fatter tail, as sides batting first reached a 50 stand in 27.6% of innings and chasing sides in 26.8%.
View the data: how big is the opening stand?
| Under 10 runs | 10-29 runs | 30-49 runs | 50+ runs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T20 batting first | 29.7% | 32.2% | 17.2% | 20.9% |
| T20 chasing | 31.4% | 32.6% | 16.0% | 19.9% |
| ODI batting first | 29.5% | 28.3% | 14.6% | 27.6% |
| ODI chasing | 27.3% | 29.6% | 16.3% | 26.8% |
Here is my main caveat. Those large stands pull the average up, so it overstates what a typical opening pair produces, and past frequencies describe what happened rather than what must happen next. Check how your bookmaker settles unbroken stands too, because the rules vary.
3Only the IPL beats 20.5 runs more often than not
The table gives the hit rate for common lines by competition. The IPL is alone above half at 20.5, clearing it in 52.9% of 2,402 innings, with a median of 22 and 24.7% reaching a 50 stand. The T20 Blast and PSL sit right at the coin-flip mark with 49.5% and 49.6%.
At the other end the BPL cleared 20.5 in just 41.7% and its median is 16, while the CPL median is 18. Across all T20 cricket the over 30.5 landed in only 36.0% of innings, which tells me a line set near the average has historically leaned heavily towards the under.
| Competition | Innings | Average | Median | Over 20.5 | Over 30.5 | 50+ stand |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPL | 2,402 | 33.4 | 22 | 52.9% | 40.7% | 24.7% |
| BBL | 1,222 | 28.9 | 20 | 47.8% | 34.6% | 18.6% |
| T20 Blast | 2,830 | 30.6 | 20 | 49.5% | 37.1% | 21.0% |
| PSL | 686 | 31.4 | 20 | 49.6% | 38.5% | 22.9% |
| CPL | 800 | 26.9 | 18 | 45.8% | 32.9% | 15.4% |
| BPL | 932 | 25.4 | 16 | 41.7% | 29.0% | 15.6% |
| Super Smash | 472 | 28.6 | 18 | 46.4% | 34.7% | 17.6% |
| SA20 | 236 | 31.3 | 18 | 46.6% | 33.9% | 19.9% |
| ILT20 | 264 | 28.1 | 19 | 48.5% | 35.6% | 18.2% |
| MLC | 204 | 28.2 | 17 | 43.6% | 30.4% | 21.1% |
| LPL | 260 | 29.6 | 20 | 48.1% | 33.8% | 19.2% |
| T20I | 2,030 | 29.7 | 19 | 47.5% | 34.8% | 20.1% |
SA20 is a useful warning: an average of 31.3 but a median of 18 and 46.6% over 20.5. A small sample of 236 innings with a few big stands makes the average look friendlier than the market really is.
4T20 stands creep upward while ODI stands swing yearly
The line chart tracks the average opening stand by year. T20 stands averaged 26.8 runs in 2010 and 32.3 in 2026 so far, but the path between is flat for long stretches rather than a steady climb.
The ODI line is far noisier, with a pronounced spike in 2019 and softer figures since. Fewer innings each year mean a handful of big stands can swing the number, which is why ODI years with fewer than 50 innings are left blank.
ODI years with fewer than 50 innings are left blank.
View the data: opening stands by year
| T20 | ODI | |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 26.8 runs | 38.6 runs |
| 2011 | 32.5 runs | 37.8 runs |
| 2012 | 30.7 runs | 37 runs |
| 2013 | 27.9 runs | 32.9 runs |
| 2014 | 30.1 runs | 38.6 runs |
| 2015 | 30.5 runs | 42.5 runs |
| 2016 | 30.5 runs | 41.6 runs |
| 2017 | 29.5 runs | 42.9 runs |
| 2018 | 29.1 runs | 36.8 runs |
| 2019 | 31 runs | 48.4 runs |
| 2020 | 30.7 runs | 41.9 runs |
| 2021 | 30.8 runs | 42.7 runs |
| 2022 | 29 runs | 36.3 runs |
| 2023 | 29.2 runs | 43.3 runs |
| 2024 | 28.6 runs | 34.1 runs |
| 2025 | 31 runs | 37.1 runs |
| 2026 | 32.3 runs | 35.7 runs |
I treat the recent T20 uptick as a reason not to lean too hard on old unders, not as proof of a new era. One season of aggressive openers is still one season.
Betting notes
- Price from the median. The T20 median of 20 sits well below the 30.0 average. When a line is set near the average, history favours the under, with over 30.5 clearing in only 36.0% of innings.
- Adjust by competition. The IPL cleared 20.5 in 52.9% of innings while the BPL managed 41.7%. Start from the league's own base rate, then layer pitch and conditions on top.
- Ignore the toss narrative. T20 sides batting first reached a 50 stand in 20.9% of innings against 19.9% when chasing. Spend your research time on the surface and the new-ball attack instead.
Quick answers
What is the average opening partnership in T20 cricket?
Across 12,338 completed T20 innings the opening stand averaged 30.0 runs, with a median of 20. The median is the better guide because a few big stands inflate the average.
How often does a T20 opening partnership go over 20.5 runs?
In 48.5% of innings overall. It varies by competition, from 52.9% in the IPL down to 41.7% in the BPL.
What is the average opening stand in ODIs?
It is 38.2 runs across 3,450 completed ODI innings, with a median of 23. The stand beat 30.5 in 41.6% of innings and 40.5 in 33.8%.
I'm Kenji Nakamura, based in Tokyo, and I write all the cricket betting tips at bettips.vip โ reading the pitch as closely as the form.
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