Harmanpreet Kaur steps down as India women’s team captain: Smriti Mandhana set to take over originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
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Harmanpreet Kaur has stepped down as India women’s team captain across formats.
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She most recently led India women to an Asian Games gold medal in Aichi-Nagoya.
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Senior batter Smriti Mandhana is expected to take over from Harmanpreet.
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‘I have done my duty’ – Harmanpreet Kaur after announcing her decision to step down as India captain
Harmanpreet Kaur announced her decision to quit India women’s team captaincy on her social media channels, stating that she has done her duty towards the nation.
She also confirmed that she is only stepping down as captain across formats but will continue to feature as a player and help the team scale new heights.
“I genuinely believe My team is in a good place. A team with talent, character, belief and a future that I am incredibly excited to watch and be a part of,” she mentioned in her post.
Harmanpreet had most recently led the Indian women’s team to the gold medal in the Asian Games 2026, held in Japan, where they defeated Sri Lanka in the final.
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Interestingly, the announcement from Harmanpreet comes after much speculation following a meeting between her, BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia and Smriti Mandhana in Guwahati on Monday.
MORE:India women’s team fans trend #SmritiForCaptain hashtag
Harmanpreet Kaur’s trophy haul as India women’s team captain
The 37-year-old has been a mainstay of the Indian women’s team since making her debut in 2009. The stylish batter was first given captaincy duty as an interim measure in 2012 where she helped the team win the Asia Cup.
She took over as full-time captain in 2016 across formats and has overseen a successful period for the Indian women’s team.
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Her crowning glory as India women’s team captain was the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup where India had a dream run, defeating South Africa in the final to clinch the trophy, with Harmanpreet herself completing the catch that won India the tournament.
Here’s all the trophies India won under Harmanpreet’s captaincy:
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Women’s ODI World Cup 2025
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Women’s Asia Cup (2012, 2016, 2022, 2026)
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Asian Games gold medal (2022, 2026)
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Commonwealth Games silver medal (2022)
Harmanpreet holds the record for most wins as a captain in T20Is, having led India to victory in 93 T20Is out of 155.
Her record across formats as captain is as follows:
|
Format |
Captained |
Won |
Lost |
Tie |
No Result |
|
T20I |
155 |
93 |
57 |
5 |
0 |
|
ODI |
51 |
30 |
19 |
1 |
1 |
|
Test |
5 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
MORE: Mullanpur stadium stand to be named after Women’s World Cup-winning captain Harmanpreet Kaur
Who will take over from Harmanpreet Kaur as India women’s team captain?
It is widely expected that senior opening batter Smriti Mandhana will be the new captain of the Indian women’s team. Smriti, 30, has been tipped to be Harmanpreet’s successor for quite a while now, with fans engaging in debates over when, not if, she should take over.
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Interestingly, Smriti was also present at the meeting between BCCI secretary and Harmanpreet on Monday.
Smriti already captains RCB in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) and has led them to the title twice in four years.
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