Harmanpreet Kaur steps down as India women’s captain across all formats

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Oct 6, 2026: Indian women’s cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur on Tuesday stepped down as captain across all three formats, saying she had fulfilled her responsibility as leader and was now ready to “play for the love of the game again.”

Harmanpreet’s decision came after a BCCI review meeting in Guwahati to assess the team’s performance and progress over the past few months. The meeting was chaired by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and attended by Harmanpreet, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and head coach Amol Muzumdar.

The 37-year-old took charge as India’s T20I captain in 2016 and led the side for a decade. She was appointed ODI captain in 2022 and became the team’s all-format captain in 2023.

“Today, I step down as captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team across all formats,” Harmanpreet wrote on Instagram.

Describing the decision as difficult, she said it carried “years of memories, emotions, sacrifices, and moments” that would remain with her for the rest of her life.

“Now, I’m ready to play for the love of the game again. Captaincy ends. The journey continues,” she added.

Harmanpreet said she was stepping down with “a heart full of emotions, but also with peace,” expressing confidence in the team’s future.

“Because I genuinely believe my team is in a good place,” she said.

Under Harmanpreet’s leadership, India won its maiden ODI World Cup in November last year and recently secured its second consecutive Asian Games gold medal in the T20 format.