India, May 5 -- "A captain is as good as his team" is an old adage in cricket. Yet IPL franchises spend disproportionately on a captaincy candidate. Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer wouldn't have commanded the highest bids in auction history if their franchises Lucknow Super Giants and Punjab Kings hadn't earmarked them as captains.

For this reason, Pant and Iyer's performance metric will be compared through the season. They could not be enduring more contrasting fortunes. Under Iyer, the usually underperforming PBKS, with seven wins in 11 matches are a step away from playoffs qualification. The Pant-led LSG have been inconsistent and will need a dramatic turnaround to advance further.

It's never an exact science, weighing the impact of ca...