India women’s cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur has stepped down as the team’s all-format captain, bringing an end to one of the longest leadership tenures in Indian women’s cricket.
Harmanpreet announced her decision Tuesday following a BCCI review meeting in Guwahati, where the team’s performance and progress over the past few months were assessed.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and head coach Amol Muzumdar attended the meeting.
“Today, I step down as captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team across all formats,” Harmanpreet said in a statement posted on Instagram.
“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 added.
Harmanpreet first led India in a T20 match against Pakistan at the 2012 Asia Cup in Guangzhou. She formally became India’s T20 captain in 2016 and took over the ODI captaincy in 2022 following Mithali Raj’s retirement. She was named the team’s all-format captain in 2023.
The 37-year-old leaves the leadership role after a period that included some of India’s most notable recent successes.
Under Harmanpreet, India won the women’s cricket gold medal at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, retaining the title they first won at the previous edition. The team also secured a record eighth Asia Cup title under her captaincy.
Her biggest achievement as captain, however, came when India won its maiden Women’s ODI World Cup on home soil last November.
Reflecting on her decision, Harmanpreet said she was ready to return to the game without the responsibilities of leadership.
“Now, I’m ready to play for the love of the game again. Captaincy ends. The journey continues,” she said.
“I’m leaving captaincy with a heart full of emotions, but also with peace. Because I genuinely believe my team is in a good place,” she added.
Harmanpreet captained India in 211 international matches. In ODIs, India won 30 of the 51 matches under her leadership, while the team recorded 92 victories in 155 T20Is — the most wins by an Indian captain across the two white-ball formats.
She also led India in five Test matches, with the team losing only once.
The BCCI has not yet announced Harmanpreet’s successor. Mandhana, who has served as vice-captain, is widely regarded as a leading candidate to take over the leadership across formats.
