Harmanpreet Kaur steps down as India captain — SkimNews
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- Harmanpreet Kaur has stepped down as India's captain across all three formats, having held the T20I role since 2016 and adding Test and ODI captaincy in 2022 when Mithali Raj retired.
- The 37-year-old led India to their first-ever global women's title at the 2025 50-over World Cup on home soil, beating South Africa in the final — making her only the third Indian captain after Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni to win that event.
- Her last act in charge was steering India to a second straight Asian Games gold, thrashing Sri Lanka by 147 runs in last month's final.
- Across her captaincy she led in 5 Tests, 51 ODIs, and 155 T20Is, with her final Test a 270-run win over England at Lord's in July — the first women's Test ever held at the ground.
- Writing on Instagram, Harmanpreet said she had given 'everything' to the team, acknowledging decisions 'that were not always understood' and came 'at a personal cost,' but expressed confidence the squad is 'in a good place.'
Why it matters: India's women's cricket team must now appoint a new captain across all three formats on the back of their most successful era — a 50-over World Cup, two Asian Games golds, and a landmark Test at Lord's. The successor inherits a squad Harmanpreet herself says has 'talent, character, belief and a future,' but loses a leader who captained in 211 internationals over a decade.
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