Harmanpreet Kaur steps down as India captain after taking team to highs

New Delhi: Harmanpreet Kaur’s remarkable 14-year journey as a leader of Indian women’s cricket came to an end on Tuesday following a meeting with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia. The Board announced Smriti Mandhana as the team’s new full-time white-ball captain. Harmanpreet, however, will continue to represent India as a player.

Harmanpreet Kaur’s India captaincy record: 211 matches — 127 wins, 77 losses and seven tied/no-result matches: 155 T20Is (93 wins, 57 losses, 5 no-results), 51 ODIs (30 wins, 19 losses, 1 tie, 1 no-result) and 5 Tests (4 wins, 1 loss).

Although India recently won the Asian Games gold medal, the failure to make it to the semifinals of T20 World Cup this year may have prompted the selectors to move on.

Harmanpreet’s leadership journey began unexpectedly in 2012 when Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami were ruled out of the Women’s T20 Asia Cup final against Pakistan through injury. Handed the captaincy as a young player, she responded by leading India to an 18-run victory and the inaugural T20 Asia Cup title win.

She became India’s regular T20I captain in 2016 and took over the ODI and Test captaincy in 2022 after Mithali’s retirement. Her tenure coincided with a period in which Indian women’s cricket developed greater depth, competitiveness and belief across formats.

Her unbeaten 171 against Australia in the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup semi-final remains one of the most celebrated innings in women’s cricket. Coming into bat with India in trouble, she dismantled the Australian attack and carried India into the final, inspiring a generation of young cricketers.

As captain, Harmanpreet experienced both disappointment and landmark success. India reached the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup final, won silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and claimed the Asian Games gold medal in 2022.

But the defining achievement came in 2025, when Harmanpreet became the first Indian women’s captain to lift the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. In the semi-final against Australia, she scored 89 and shared a 167-run partnership with Jemimah Rodrigues as India chased down a record 339. India then defeated South Africa by 52 runs in the final in Navi Mumbai to win their maiden World Cup title.

Her final assignment as captain produced another major milestone. In Nagoya, Harmanpreet led India to a second successive Asian Games gold medal, with India defeating Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final.

The BCCI also highlighted her extraordinary longevity. In September, Harmanpreet became the first cricketer to captain in 150 T20Is, while she also became the most-capped international player in women’s cricket and the first player to reach 200 T20I appearances.

“Leading India has been one of the greatest honours and privileges of my life,” Harmanpreet said in her communication to the BCCI. She thanked the Board, selectors, coaching and support staff and her teammates, adding that she believed it was the right time to hand over the captaincy and allow the team to move forward under new leadership.

At the same time, she made clear that her international career is not over. Harmanpreet said she remains committed to representing India and supporting the new leadership and younger players with the same pride and dedication.

BCCI president Mithun Manhas said Harmanpreet’s contribution “will always hold a special place” in Indian cricket history, while describing the 2025 World Cup triumph as the defining achievement of her captaincy. Honorary secretary Devajit Saikia also praised her for continuing to believe in the team after setbacks and for eventually leading India to its first Women’s World Cup title.

The BCCI has now handed the white-ball captaincy to Smrit Mandhana, who has been part of the Indian team since 2013 and has already led India in 18 T20Is and four ODIs. She also guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru to Women’s Premier League titles in 2024 and 2026.

Mandhana called the appointment a “very special honour” and acknowledged Harmanpreet’s contribution to the team. She said she understood the responsibility of the role and looked forward to working with the team and taking Indian cricket forward.

The transition marks the beginning of a new chapter for India’s women, but Harmanpreet’s captaincy will be remembered for taking the team from repeated near-misses to the summit of world cricket — culminating in the historic 2025 World Cup triumph.

Tags : Harmanpreet Kaur, Indian women's cricket, Smriti Mandhana, BCCI, Devajit Saikia