Harmanpreet Kaur Steps Down as India Captain Across All Formats
Harmanpreet Kaur Steps Down as India Captain Across All Formats
Harmanpreet Kaur has stepped down as captain of the Indian women’s cricket team across all formats, ending a leadership stint that lasted nearly a decade. The 37-year-old announced the decision in an Instagram post on Tuesday, making clear she intends to keep playing.
“Today, I step down as captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team across all formats,” she wrote. “This is not an easy decision. It carries years of memories, emotions, sacrifices, and moments that will stay with me for the rest of my life.”
Why Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down
The announcement came a day after a Board of Control for Cricket in India review meeting in Guwahati on Monday, where Harmanpreet met BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia along with vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and head coach Amol Muzumdar to discuss the roadmap of the women’s team.
Indian media reports suggest the meeting reviewed the team’s progress over recent months. Harmanpreet framed the decision as her own, saying she felt her duty was done and the team was in a good place.
“I have given everything I had to this team and to Indian women’s cricket, my blood, my sweat, my time, and many times, a part of my own game and personal ambitions,” she wrote. “Now, I’m ready to play for the love of the game again. Captaincy ends. The journey continues.”
Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana is widely reported to be the leading candidate to take over across formats, though the BCCI has not made an official announcement.
A decade of highs under Harmanpreet Kaur
Harmanpreet first captained India as a stand-in during the 2012 Asia Cup, took over the T20I side full-time in 2016, and became captain across all formats in 2022 after Mithali Raj retired. She led India in five Tests, 51 one-day internationals and 155 T20 internationals, 211 matches in all, and became the first cricketer to captain a side in more than 150 T20Is.
The defining triumph came in 2025, when she led India to their maiden ICC Women’s ODI World Cup title on home soil, making her only the third Indian captain after Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni to win a 50-over World Cup. She also guided India to Asia Cup titles, consecutive Asian Games gold medals in Hangzhou 2022 and Aichi-Nagoya 2026, a silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, a historic Test win over Australia in 2023, and India’s first bilateral one-day series win in England since 1999.
Her unbeaten 171 against Australia in the 2017 World Cup semi-final remains one of the great innings in women’s cricket.
What comes next for India
The change closes one of the most successful chapters in Indian women’s cricket and opens another. Harmanpreet leaves a side that is world champion in the 50-over format and back-to-back Asian Games gold medallist, with a strong core of young players she helped develop.
Her decision to continue as a player gives the new captain an experienced senior to lean on. For Harmanpreet, the next phase is simpler: batting without the weight of leadership, playing, in her words, for the love of the game.
When did Harmanpreet Kaur step down as India captain?
She announced the decision in an Instagram post on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, a day after a BCCI review meeting in Guwahati.
What did Harmanpreet Kaur win as captain?
Her biggest triumph was India’s maiden ICC Women’s ODI World Cup title in 2025. She also won Asia Cup titles, Asian Games gold medals in 2022 and 2026, and a Commonwealth Games silver in 2022.
Who will replace Harmanpreet Kaur as India captain?
Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana is widely reported to be the frontrunner to take over across all formats, but the BCCI has not made an official announcement yet.
Is Harmanpreet Kaur retiring?
No. She made clear she will continue playing international cricket and remains available for selection as a player.
