Harmanpreet Kaur Steps Down as India Women's Captain After 211 Internationals in Charge

6 October 2026National

Harmanpreet Kaur announced on 6 October 2026, after a BCCI review meeting, that she is stepping down as captain of the India women's cricket team. She led India in 211 international matches — 30 wins from 51 ODIs, 92 from 155 T20Is and four from five Tests — and her tenure delivered India's maiden ICC Women's ODI World Cup title in November 2025 plus back-to-back Asian Games T20 golds. She first captained India in a T20I in 2012, took over the T20I side in 2016, the ODI side in 2022 and all formats in 2023. Smriti Mandhana is the frontrunner to succeed her.

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India won their first ICC Women's ODI World Cup in 2025, having finished runners-up in 2005 and 2017 | Harmanpreet Kaur hails from Moga in Punjab and received the Arjuna Award in 2017 | The BCCI, founded in 1928, is headquartered at the Cricket Centre beside Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

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