Harmanpreet Kaur steps down as India captain — SkimNews
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- Harmanpreet Kaur, 37, announced on Instagram she is stepping down as India captain across Tests, ODIs and T20Is, saying 'I have given everything I had to this team and to Indian women's cricket.'
- Harmanpreet led India to their first-ever global women's cricket title at the 2025 50-over World Cup on home soil, beating South Africa in the final.
- She is only the third Indian captain — after Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni — to win a World Cup, and is likely to be succeeded by Smriti Mandhana.
- Her last act as captain was steering India to a second straight Asian Games gold, thrashing Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final last month.
- Across formats, Harmanpreet captained in 5 Tests, 51 ODIs and 155 T20Is, taking on the Test and ODI roles when Mithali Raj retired in 2022 after becoming T20 captain in 2016.
- Her final Test as captain was a 270-run win over England at Lord's in July — the first women's Test to be played at the ground.
- India's next assignment is three T20Is and three ODIs against Zimbabwe from October 16, followed by a tour of South Africa in December.
Why it matters: Harmanpreet leaves Indian women's cricket in a strong position — a World Cup title, consecutive Asian Games golds, and a likely successor in Smriti Mandhana already in the setup — meaning the transition risks little short-term disruption. The bigger question is the longer-term succession at the top of India's batting order, since Harmanpreet has signalled she wants to keep playing for 'the love of the game' rather than retire.
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