Harmanpreet Kaur steps down as India women's captain

Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down as captain of the India women's cricket team on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, following a BCCI review meeting in Guwahati. She said she had done her duty as leader and was ready to return to playing purely "for the love of the game."

The 37-year-old has captained India's T20 side since taking over in 2016, was elevated to the ODI captaincy in 2022 and became the all-format leader in 2023. Under her captaincy India won its maiden ODI World Cup in November last year and recently claimed a second successive Asian Games gold in the T20 format. Her announcement ends a long spell as the team's on-field leader across formats.

The decision followed a BCCI review meeting held in Guwahati to evaluate the team's trajectory in the past few months. The session was chaired by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and attended by Harmanpreet, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and head coach Amol Muzumdar.

Harmanpreet shared the news on her Instagram account, posting: "Today, I step down as captain of the Indian Women's Cricket Team across all formats." She added in the same statement: "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."

She described her state of mind in further comments, saying she was leaving the role "with a heart full of emotions, but also with peace." Harmanpreet also wrote: "Because I genuinely believe my team is in a good place."

In closing she wrote, "Now, I'm ready to play for the love of the game again. Captaincy ends. The journey continues," signalling she will remain available as a player after relinquishing leadership duties.