The Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2020 has six franchises and so it also has six captains, which is no rocket science.

Today we list and analyse the six captains who will be calling the shots at PSL 2020, with the aim being to find out who has an edge in the leadership department.

1- Shadab Khan (Islamabad United)

It was only a matter of time that the two-time champions handed the captaincy armband to young Shadab Khan, a product of the PSL, as perfect as anyone for the format, can obviously bowl, can bat a bit, and is an excellent fielder.

He's a bit young but young is not necessarily bad anymore, and he also has no controversies to him — at least not just yet (let's see if the Instagram business balloons).

Shadab literally had no competition for United captaincy and was a shoo-in, once Mohammad Sami's career breathed its last, last year. 

Captaincy acumen: To be seen ... but he has a thinking brain (check Yuvraj Singh's dismissal in Champions Trophy final) (N/A)

Commanding of respect: Islamabad United does not have many rabble-rousers or experienced locals. This shouldn't be a problem. (7/10)

Personal performance: In franchised T20 cricket, Shadab is a top performer. (8/10)

2- Imad Wasim (Karachi Kings)

This could be a bit awkward as the Kings have retained Imad Wasim as captain who himself is captained by Babar Azam at the national level. 

So far there have been no signs that the Kings have thought of replacing Imad with the superstar that is Babar, but it has crossed some analysts' mind. Certainly the one authoring this piece. It's tough not to let the mind stray when Imad has a history of injuries and not lasting the full tournament, while Babar is Babar.

Captaincy acumen: Imad is not a cricketing genius but is an epitome of smartness in every sense of the word. (7/10)

Commanding of respect: A natural born leader, Imad should have no trouble with Babar in his ranks. (7-10) 

Personal performance: He is someone who does enough but never dazzles. (6/10) 

3- Darren Sammy (Peshawar Zalmi)

As long as Darren Sammy is playing and Peshawar Zalmi is existing, his position as the franchise captain will not be under threat — such is his relation with not only the franchise but Pakistan as a whole.

It is then no surprise that Sammy is skipper again for the 2017 champions. 

Captaincy acumen: He's won two World T20s and a PSL. Of course, his judgment is outstanding. 10/10

Commanding of respect: No problems here either even though he has a plethora of problem characters to deal with in the form of Akmal brothers, Imam-ul-Haq, and uber experienced Shoaib Malik and Wahab Riaz. 9/10

Personal performance: The 36-year-old is one of those whose performances matter little. His presence is enough. Even then he is known to win matches on one leg. 7/10

4- Sohail Akhtar (Lahore Qalandars)

The Qalandars rolled the dice and made the biggest gamble of the off-season by appointing a 33-year-old local, who has never played at the highest level, as their new captain.

The franchise deserves a pat for trusting its local talent so much, especially in the light of the fact that their previous bet named Haris Rauf is only just paying off — and paying off big. But jury remains out on Akhtar. A masterstroke or an unmitigated disaster ... only time will tell.

Captaincy acumen: No idea

Commanding of respect: Is there a world where a super senior citizen such as Mohammad Hafeez, a Champions Trophy winner such as Fakhar Zaman and a rising star such as Shaheen Shah Afridi would be fine playing under an uncapped captain? Probably not. 5/10

Personal performance: Akhtar has scored a total of 24 runs in his last four T20 matches. So... 5/10

5- Shan Masood (Multan Sultans)

This here is another first-time captain and a choice somewhat similar to the one made by the Qalandars. 

In a two-way battle, Multan Sultans opted for Shan Masood instead of Shahid Afridi, who leaked the franchise's choice in vengeance (ok probably not in vengeance). 

Thing is that even though Afridi is 40 on paper and 45 in reality, it is tough to argue that he'd have been a poorer choice than Shan, who is not even an ODI player, let alone T20s. 

The lad's been picked purely on the basis of his age, his communication skills and persona — all good things but not the most important ones.

Captaincy acumen: Had PSL been a Test cricket league, Shan would have had plenty to offer. But T20? Umm ... no! At least not until we've seen otherwise. 5/10 

Commanding of respect: Except for Lala, everyone in Sultans camp should be manageable. A lack of troublemakers bodes well for Shan. 6/10

Personal performance: Shan averages 20.61 runs at a strike rate of 114.52 in T20 cricket — pretty ordinary numbers. He's never been capped by Pakistan in T20Is, which shows what they think of his ability in the format. 3/10

6- Sarfaraz Ahmed (Quetta Gladiators)

The captain with the highest job security in PSL, Sarfaraz Ahmed, has been retained by the Gladiators, which was a given really. 

His stock did fall at national level in 2019 as he was sacked from captaincy and even kicked out of all Pakistan side, but even his greatest detractors admitted that he still has game left in T20 format. Even if he is not a game changer as a player, he's arguably one of the best T20 captains in the league.

Captaincy acumen: Sarfaraz is known to be a bit timid in longer formats but he's in his element in T20s. He knows his stuff. 9/10

Commanding of respect: In Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad, the Gladiators have two of the baddest boys who have been insubordinate at numerous points in their careers. Surprisingly though, all of them get along well with Sarfaraz so management shouldn't be a problem. 8/10 

Personal performance: His career T20I average of 27.89 at a strike rate of 127.81 isn't bad but those numbers do not pass the eye test. Those who know, know that Sarfaraz is not a match-winner as is expected from a captain. 6/10

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