A captain pick is a tier, not a single name. Sixer works three cuts — opener-leaning, anchor-leaning and finisher-leaning — and weighs each against tonight's venue, phase and points math.
Best when tonight's powerplay six-rate is over 11.5 per match and the venue's square-leg boundary is short. The opener captain's main risk is a fast bowler who gets movement in the first two overs.
Powerplay (overs 1–6). The opener captain's best window is the first six overs when the field is up and the square-leg boundary rewards the controlled pull. Sixer tags tonight's powerplay six-rate from the venue's last twelve innings.
The middle overs on a slow turner. An opener captain stranded on strike after a quiet powerplay can score 22 off 24 with no sixes — captain points collapse. Sixer flags this when the venue's middle-overs economy is under 7.0.
An opener captain who hits 28 off 18 with two sixes scores (28 × 2) + (2 × 8) = 72 points at the 2× multiplier. The non-captain vice slot (1.5×) on the same player scores 54. The differential is the captain premium.
Best when the venue's powerplay six-rate is under 10 and the death-overs economy is over 9.5. The anchor captain's job is to absorb the middle phase and turn strike at the back end of the innings.
The anchor captain's strike rate floors out around 130. Anything below 125 means dot-ball pressure has accumulated; anything above 145 means the anchor is playing a finisher's game and a different tier fits better.
An anchor captain on a turning track takes the boundary share down to 38–42% of runs. Sixer weights the anchor tier by boundary share, not by absolute runs — the anchor wins leagues by surviving, not by hitting.
Skip the anchor captain when the death-overs 6-rate is over 14. The finisher tier's upside dwarfs the anchor tier when the death phase fires; the captain premium flips to a finisher name.
Best when the death-overs 6-rate is over 14 per match and the venue's straight boundary is long. The finisher captain's risk is a slow-outfield evening or a tight on-side ring; Sixer tags both before locking the call.
The finisher captain's bat speed peaks in overs 17–20. Sixer's death-overs ledger reads the last twelve innings at the venue and flags the bowler types who go for sixes in that window.
A damp outfield shaves 6–8 metres off the boundary carry. The finisher captain's leverage shrinks in those conditions. Sixer reads the venue's dew window to flag this.
A finisher captain who clears 36 off 14 with four sixes scores (36 × 2) + (4 × 8) = 104. The non-captain vice on the same player scores 78. Differential: 26 points per match — the captain premium in raw terms.
A short note on the questions the desk hears most about the captain tiers.