Do T20 Scores Rise in Midsummer? League Totals by Calendar Month
Across 5,154 T20 league first innings, the calendar month moves totals by a few runs at most. The real signal sits inside individual leagues, where the stage of the season matters.
Written by Daniel LimCricket Match Predictions specialist
- Sport
- Cricket
- Question
- Does the calendar month a T20 league game is played in change the first-innings total, the 180-plus rate and the six count?
- Sample
- Men's T20 franchise leagues (IPL, BBL, T20 Blast, PSL, CPL, BPL, Super Smash, SA20, ILT20, MLC, LPL), 2008-2026, 5,154 full-length first innings
- Full-length first innings5,154
- Average first-innings total167.4
- First innings reaching 18034.6%
- Mar vs season average+2.5 runs
Does a T20 league game in midsummer score more than one in the cold early weeks of a season? Bettors often treat the month as a shortcut for conditions, so I wanted to test that. The sample is 5,154 full-length first innings from the men's franchise leagues, with an average total of 167.4 and 34.6% reaching 180.
The headline answer is that the month matters far less than the league or the season. Once each total is compared with its own league-season average, the swing between the best and worst months is small. That is why my cricket match predictions today page relies on venue, pitch and squad reads before it looks at the calendar. A couple of league-specific patterns are still worth knowing, and the T20 Blast in July is the clearest.
Window 1Calendar month moves T20 totals by only a few runs
This chart compares every first-innings total with the mean for its own league season, which removes the gaps between leagues and eras. March is the best month at +2.5 runs on 174 innings. September is the weakest at โ2.5 on 292 innings. That makes the full spread 5.0 runs, which is a shot or two over a whole innings.
More telling, 8 of the 10 months sit within 2 runs of the season average. On a total line, a bookmaker's number moves more than that because of a single ground or one strong batting line-up.
Months with fewer than 100 full-length first innings are left out. Number of innings in brackets.
View the data: first-innings runs vs the season average, by month
| Runs vs season average | |
|---|---|
| Jan (863) | โ1.2 runs |
| Feb (363) | +0.7 runs |
| Mar (174) | +2.5 runs |
| Apr (616) | โ0.7 runs |
| May (647) | +0.1 runs |
| Jun (545) | +0.7 runs |
| Jul (637) | +1.6 runs |
| Aug (383) | +0.1 runs |
| Sep (292) | โ2.5 runs |
| Dec (468) | +0.9 runs |
Be careful with raw monthly averages. March averages 174.3 and September 162.7, but most of that gap comes from which leagues happen to play in those months. It does not come from the month.
Window 2Inside each league, the season's shape does the talking
Breaking the data down by league is where the patterns sharpen. The CPL runs +2.9 in August and falls to โ2.5 in September. The PSL is +3.0 in March, with 45.3% of first innings reaching 180. IPL March comes out at +2.1 and 48.7%, but that is on only 78 innings, so I treat it lightly.
The IPL comparison between April and May interests me most. April runs โ0.7 against the season average but has a 180-plus rate of 37.7%. May runs +1.0 with a rate of 33.8%. Average totals and big-total frequency do not always move together, so a bet on the overall total line and a bet on 180 or more need separate reads.
| League & month | Innings | Runs vs avg | 180+ rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| IPL Mar | 78 | +2.1 | 48.7% |
| IPL Apr | 563 | โ0.7 | 37.7% |
| IPL May | 465 | +1.0 | 33.8% |
| T20 Blast May | 168 | โ2.7 | 39.3% |
| T20 Blast Jun | 477 | โ0.1 | 39.0% |
| T20 Blast Jul | 470 | +2.5 | 44.3% |
| T20 Blast Aug | 207 | โ1.6 | 36.7% |
| T20 Blast Sep | 89 | โ2.9 | 30.3% |
| BBL Jan | 367 | โ0.9 | 23.7% |
| BBL Dec | 224 | +0.4 | 26.8% |
| PSL Feb | 150 | โ0.9 | 32.7% |
| PSL Mar | 95 | +3.0 | 45.3% |
| CPL Aug | 150 | +2.9 | 25.3% |
| CPL Sep | 176 | โ2.5 | 27.3% |
The main caveat is this: each league plays in only a handful of months, so a month effect inside one league is also a stage-of-season effect. Pitches wear, venues rotate and the number of games at each ground changes from season to season. When I see September dip in the CPL, I put that down to tired surfaces and knockout cricket rather than the date itself.
Window 3July is the T20 Blast's high-scoring peak
The Blast has the cleanest calendar arc in the data. May sits at 39.3% for 180-plus first innings and June at 39.0%. July then jumps to 44.3% before the rate falls to 36.7% in August and 30.3% in September. In runs, July is +2.5 against the season average, while May is โ2.7 and September โ2.9.
This matches what I would expect from English conditions. Early-season pitches can still offer seam and swing, and July brings the firmest, flattest surfaces and the warmest evenings. By September there is more moisture about and the knockout stages tend to be tighter games.
Innings per month: May 168, Jun 477, Jul 470, Aug 207, Sep 89.
View the data: t20 blast: 180-plus first innings by month
| 180+ first innings | |
|---|---|
| May | 39.3% |
| Jun | 39.0% |
| Jul | 44.3% |
| Aug | 36.7% |
| Sep | 30.3% |
September has only 89 innings, so I would not lean hard on that figure alone. The July bulge rests on a much larger sample, and that is the one I trust.
Window 4March produces the most sixes, December the fewest
Six counts follow a slightly different rhythm from totals. March tops the chart at 7.2 sixes per first innings and December is lowest at 5.9. Again, this partly reflects which leagues play when: the subcontinental competitions dominate the spring months, and the Big Bash, with its larger grounds, holds December.
One detail stands out. September is the weakest month for runs against the season average, yet it sits near the top for sixes. A lower total built on more boundaries points to innings that are scrappier and more all-or-nothing, which is useful context for the six-count markets.
View the data: sixes in the first innings, by calendar month
| Average sixes per full-length first innings, all leagues | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 6 |
| Feb | 6.4 |
| Mar | 7.2 |
| Apr | 6.8 |
| May | 6.6 |
| Jun | 6.5 |
| Jul | 6.4 |
| Aug | 6.3 |
| Sep | 6.9 |
| Dec | 5.9 |
Best window
- Discount the raw monthly average
March averages 174.3 and September 162.7 mostly because different leagues play in those months. Always compare a total against its own league-season baseline first.
- Lean higher in Blast July
July is the Blast's richest month, with 44.3% of first innings reaching 180 and a +2.5 run edge over the season average. Weigh the venue first, then let the month push you slightly upwards.
- Price total and 180 separately
In the IPL, May scored +1.0 runs above average yet hit 180 less often than April (33.8% against 37.7%). Do not assume a higher average total means more big totals.
Questions bettors ask
Do T20 scores go up in summer?
Across all leagues the effect is small: 8 of the 10 months sit within 2 runs of the season average. The T20 Blast is the exception, where July first innings run +2.5 runs above the season average.
How often does a T20 league first innings reach 180?
Across 5,154 full-length first innings, 34.6% reached 180, which gives fair odds of 2.89. The rate varies a lot by league, from 23.7% in BBL January to 44.3% in Blast July.
Which month has the most sixes in T20 leagues?
March has the most at 7.2 sixes per first innings, and December the fewest at 5.9. Much of that difference comes from which leagues are playing in each month.
I'm Daniel Lim, and I write the cricket match predictions at fixedmatches.vip โ covering Tests, ODIs and T20s with conditions weighted as heavily as form.
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