Indian women’s cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur announced on 6 October that she was stepping down from the captaincy in all three formats: Tests, ODIs and T20s. The 37-year-old made the announcement in a lengthy statement on Instagram. She made it clear that she would continue to play for India as a player.
The decision came after a BCCI review meeting in Guwahati. According to reports, the meeting on 5 October was chaired by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia. Alongside Harmanpreet, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and head coach Amol Muzumdar attended. The team’s recent performances and future direction were discussed.
What her statement said
In her statement, Harmanpreet wrote that she had given everything to this team and to Indian women’s cricket: her blood, sweat and time. According to the ICC website, she said she was now ready to play again for the love of the game. She ended her statement with the line: “The captaincy ends, the journey continues.”
Nearly a decade in charge
Harmanpreet became captain of the T20 side in 2016. After Mithali Raj retired from international cricket in 2022, she also became the full-time captain of the ODI and Test teams. According to ICC figures, she led India in 5 Tests, 51 ODIs and 155 T20 Internationals. She is the first player, male or female, to captain her team in more than 150 T20 Internationals.
Under her captaincy, India won the Women’s ODI World Cup for the first time in 2025. The team also won silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and consecutive Asian Games gold medals in 2023 and 2026. The 2026 Asian Games in Japan was her final tournament as captain.
What comes next
The Indian women’s team’s next assignment is a home series against Zimbabwe. It will be the first bilateral series between the two teams, beginning with three T20 matches in Raipur from 16 October. Three ODIs will follow in Vadodara as part of the ICC Women’s Championship. The BCCI has not yet made an official announcement about a new captain. Media reports describe long-serving vice-captain Smriti Mandhana as the leading contender for the role.
Photo: Bahnfrend / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
