Harmanpreet Kaur Steps Down as Captain of India's Women's Cricket Team

Harmanpreet Kaur, the prominent captain of the India Women's Cricket Team, has resigned from her leadership role across all formats. This decision comes shortly after she guided the team to their historic first ICC Women's World Cup title on home soil in 2025.

Kaur made her announcement via a social media post on Tuesday. This declaration followed approximately two weeks after she successfully led India to defend their gold medal at the Asian Games.

Highlights

• Harmanpreet Kaur has stepped down as captain of the India Women's Cricket Team in all formats.
• She led the team to their maiden ICC Women's World Cup title in 2025.
• The 37-year-old is the first cricketer, male or female, to captain her side in over 150 T20I matches internationally.
• Kaur expressed in her social media post that this was not an easy decision.
• Opening batter Smriti Mandhana is widely expected to take over the captaincy.

Details

Kaur had held the T20 captaincy since 2016, subsequently taking on the One Day International (ODI) and Test captaincy in 2022. Having made her international T20 and ODI debuts for India in 2009, Kaur has enjoyed a distinguished career as a skipper.

Reports in Indian media indicate that Kaur's decision followed a meeting with Devajit Saikia, the secretary of the Indian cricket board (BCCI), to discuss the future direction of the women's team. Smriti Mandhana, an opening batter who has served as Kaur's deputy since 2022, is considered the frontrunner to assume the captaincy.

Under Kaur's leadership, India secured their inaugural Women's Cricket World Cup title last November. More recently, she led India to defend their title at the Asian Games by defeating Sri Lanka, shortly after lifting the women's Asia Cup trophy in September.

Why it matters

Harmanpreet Kaur's resignation marks the end of a significant era in Indian women's cricket. Under her leadership, the team achieved remarkable milestones, including their first-ever World Cup triumph. This transition is a pivotal development that will shape the team's future dynamics and usher in a new leadership period.