Newscow
Harmanpreet Kaur has stepped down as captain of India’s women’s team across all formats, but she has not retired from international cricket. The BCCI says she wants to continue representing India as a player. As of this update, the board has not officially named her successor.
What has Harmanpreet Kaur actually announced?
The BCCI’s October 6 statement confirms that Harmanpreet has handed over the captaincy after more than a decade of leadership assignments. She became India’s regular T20I captain in 2016 and took over the ODI and Test captaincy after Mithali Raj retired in 2022.
The important distinction is that this is a captaincy change, not a retirement announcement. Harmanpreet told the BCCI that her commitment to Indian cricket remains strong and that she wants to keep contributing as a player. Reuters also reports that she intends to continue playing for India.
Has BCCI named India’s next women’s captain?
No official successor is named in the BCCI announcement checked on October 6. Smriti Mandhana, the long-time vice-captain, is being widely discussed as the leading candidate, but that is different from an official appointment. Until the selectors or BCCI announce the new captain, reports describing any player as confirmed should be treated cautiously.
Why this is a major leadership change
Harmanpreet’s tenure includes India’s first Women’s ODI World Cup title in 2025, two Asian Games gold medals, the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup final and a Commonwealth Games silver medal. The BCCI also notes that she became the first player to appear in 200 women’s T20Is and the first to captain in 150 T20Is.
Her final assignment as captain ended with another Asian Games gold. That makes the timing notable: India is changing leadership after a title rather than after an immediate tournament collapse.
What happens next?
The next key update is the BCCI’s formal captaincy announcement. Until then, three things are confirmed: Harmanpreet has left the captaincy in all formats, she plans to continue playing for India, and the board has not named her replacement in the statement announcing her decision.
Image: Harmanpreet Kaur during the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup. Robert Drummond/Wikimedia Commons, CC0. Archival image.