Harmanpreet Kaur steps down from India women’s cricket team captaincy

• Indian women’s cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down from her position in all three formats on October 6.

• The 37-year-old’s announcement came after a BCCI review meeting in Guwahati to evaluate the team’s trajectory in the past few months. 

• Harmanpreet led the Indian T20 side for a decade, taking over as skipper in 2016. 

• She was elevated to ODI captaincy in 2022 before becoming the all-format leader in 2023.

• Under Harmanpreet, the Indian women’s team won its maiden ODI World Cup in 2025.

• The team also claimed a second successive gold medal at the Asian Games (T20 format) in Japan. 

• She also captained India to a silver finish at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

• In all, Harmanpreet led India in five Tests, 51 ODIs and 155 T20Is.

Smriti Mandhana replaces Harmanpreet as Indian captain

• Star batter Smriti Mandhana was appointed the captain of the Indian women’s cricket team, succeeding Harmanpreet.

• Mandhana is one of the most experienced players in the Indian team 

• She has previously led India in 18 T20Is and four ODIs.

• The 30-year-old has also enjoyed considerable success as a leader in domestic and franchise cricket, most notably guiding Royal Challengers Bengaluru to Women’s Premier League titles in 2024 and 2026.