Harmanpreet Kaur Steps Down as India Women’s Cricket Captain

World Cup-winning skipper Harmanpreet Kaur has stepped down as captain of the Indian women’s cricket team across all formats with immediate effect. The 37-year-old confirmed her decision on 6 October 2026, bringing an end to a decade-long leadership stint in international cricket. She will, however, continue to play for India.

Captaincy Career

Harmanpreet took over India’s T20I captaincy in 2016 and later became the full-time ODI and Test captain in 2022 following the retirement of former India captain Mithali Raj.

During her tenure, she captained India in:

• 5 Tests
• 51 ODIs
• 155 T20Is

Her final assignment as captain ended with India winning a second consecutive Asian Games gold medal, after titles in 2022 and 2026.

Led India to Maiden Women’s ODI World Cup Title

The biggest achievement of Harmanpreet’s captaincy came in 2025, when she led India to its maiden ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup title on home soil.

With the triumph, Harmanpreet became the third Indian captain after Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni to win a 50-over World Cup.

She is also among the Indian captains to have led the country to a senior World Cup title, alongside:

• Kapil Dev
• MS Dhoni
• Rohit Sharma
• Suryakumar Yadav

Asian Games and Commonwealth Games Success

Harmanpreet led India to back-to-back Asian Games gold medals in 2022 and 2026.

She had also captained India to the silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where India lost the final to Australia.

Record in T20I Captaincy

Harmanpreet established a major leadership record by becoming the first player, male or female, to captain a team in more than 150 T20 Internationals.

Under her leadership, India also:

• Reached the 2018 Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final
• Finished runners-up in the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup
• Reached the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final

She also became the first player to complete 200 T20 Internationals in June 2026.

Harmanpreet to Continue as Player

While stepping down from captaincy, Harmanpreet made it clear that she will continue representing India as a player, marking the beginning of a new phase in her international career.