Harmanpreet Kaur steps down as India women’s captain after Asian Games gold
Harmanpreet Kaur announced on Instagram on Tuesday, October 6 that she has stepped down as captain of India’s women’s cricket team after guiding the side to the gold medal at the Asian Games 2026. She confirmed the decision covers all formats and said she will continue to remain a part of the team.
The 37-year-old first assumed captaincy on a temporary basis in 2012 when she helped India win the Women's T20I Asia Cup and was appointed full-time skipper in 2016. Her ten-year leadership spell included 155 T20Is, 51 ODIs and five Tests in which she served as captain. The end of her tenure followed discussions about the team’s future in a meeting in Guwahati involving Harmanpreet, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and head coach Amol Muzumdar with BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia.
Harmanpreet posted a lengthy statement on Instagram (A post shared by Harmann (@imharmanpreet_kaur)) in which she wrote: "Today, I step down as captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team across all formats." She added: "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. There were moments when I had to put my individual performance, my own growth, and what I wanted for myself aside, because I believed the team had to come first." She concluded the post: "Blood. Sweat. Sacrifice. Pride. I gave it all. Now, I’m ready to play for the love of the game again. Captaincy ends. The journey continues," read the statement from Harmanpreet.
As captain, Harmanpreet amassed the most wins for a player in women's T20Is, recording 92 victories from the 155 matches she led. In ODIs she won 30 of the 51 matches as captain, with her crowning achievement coming at the Women's World Cup 2025 on home soil when India overcame a near early exit to defeat South Africa and claim the title; she took the final catch that sealed the win.
Her Test captaincy record comprised five matches, the most recent ending in a win over England at Lord's. Across formats, India registered several notable successes under her leadership during a decade in charge.
The captaincy change followed the Guwahati meeting that discussed the team's future, and it is believed that Smriti Mandhana is in line to replace Harmanpreet as captain across all three formats.
