Harmanpreet Kaur has stepped down as captain of India’s women’s cricket team in all three formats, ending a decade-long reign that brought the country its first Women’s World Cup title, but says she will keep playing.
The 37-year-old announced the decision with immediate effect on Tuesday, days after leading India to their second successive Asian Games gold medal, Dawn reported.
“Captaincy ends. The journey continues”
“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,” Kaur said in a social media post.
“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,” she said. “Now, I’m ready to play for the love of the game again. Captaincy ends. The journey continues.”
A record-breaking tenure
Kaur became India’s T20 captain in 2016 and took over the ODI and Test sides in 2022, after Mithali Raj retired, The Express Tribune reported. Her record as captain:
- Matches: five Tests, 51 ODIs and 155 T20 internationals
- A world first: the first captain in international cricket to lead a side in more than 150 T20Is
- World Cup: led India to their first Women’s World Cup title last year, beating South Africa in the final at home in November
- Asian Games: gold in 2022 and again this year
- Asia Cup: two titles, the latest last month
- Other finals: silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and runners-up at the 2020 T20 World Cup
Her World Cup win made her only the third Indian captain, after Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni, to win a 50-over World Cup. She is also one of five Indian captains to win a World Cup in any format, alongside Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav, who won the T20 World Cup in 2024 and 2026. Under her, India also reached the semi-finals of the 2018 and 2023 T20 World Cups.
Pressure after the T20 World Cup
Kaur’s leadership was first questioned after India’s second successive group-stage exit from the T20 World Cup in June. Local media reported that her captaincy was also discussed at a review meeting held by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday.
Who comes next
Star batter Smriti Mandhana is seen as the frontrunner to take over. She played a key role in the Asian Games win, scoring a brilliant 79 off 45 balls in the final against Sri Lanka.
Change across the region
Kaur’s exit as captain comes in a week of change in South Asian women’s cricket. Pakistan’s Kainat Imtiaz announced her retirement from international cricket this week after 13 years.
Why it matters
Few captains have shaped a team as much as Kaur shaped India’s women’s side, taking it from near misses to a World Cup title. Her decision to stay on as a player gives India experience in the middle while a new leader takes charge. Read our report on Pakistan’s Asian Games silver in men’s cricket.
This article draws on reporting by Dawn and The Express Tribune.
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