Wales hooker Ken Owens will captain Scarlets for a record seventh season in 2020-21.

Fellow British and Irish Lion and former Wales fly-half Phil Bennett led Scarlets for six seasons during their pre-regional existence as Llanelli RFC.

"Ken is our leader, he is also our spiritual leader. He is the heartbeat of our team," said head coach Glenn Delaney.

"And if you look at Welsh rugby as a whole, he is going to be up there in a very small, select group of people who are unbelievably respected by all Welsh players.

"What you see on the field is what everyone sees, but what I see is the work Ken does behind the scenes keeping the team together."

Centre Steff Hughes has regularly led Scarlets in Owens' absence on international duty and will deputise again in 2020-21.

Owens, who has made 77 Wales appearances and won two more Test caps for the Lions, said: "It is always a huge honour to lead the Scarlets and a proud moment to pass the record held by such a Scarlets icon as Phil Bennett.

"I am fortunate to have a strong leadership group alongside me with a huge amount of experience in the game."

Scarlets' regular season concludes with Welsh Pro14 derbies against Cardiff Blues on Saturday, 22 August followed by a trip to Dragons a week later.

"The boys are excited about returning to rugby against Cardiff Blues next week and finishing this season on a high before getting stuck into the next campaign," added Owens.