Harmanpreet Kaur steps down as captain of India women's team
Harmanpreet Kaur has resigned as captain of the Indian women's cricket team across all formats following a BCCI review meeting. She expressed a desire to return to playing purely for the love of the game after a decade of leadership.
Why it matters
As a high-profile athlete, her departure marks a significant transition for Indian women's cricket and its future leadership structure.
Indian women's cricket team's long-serving captain Harmanpreet Kaur on Tuesday (October 6, 2026) stepped down from her position in all three formats, saying that she has done her duty as leader and is now "ready to play for the love of the game again."
Harmanpreet's announcement came after a BCCI review meeting in Guwahati to evaluate the team's trajectory in the past few months. Chaired by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, the meeting was attended by Harmanpreet, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and head coach Amol Muzumdar.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Harmann (@imharmanpreet_kaur)
The 37-year-old led the Indian T20 side for a decade, taking over the position in 2016, and was elevated to ODI captaincy in 2022 before becoming the all-format leader in 2023.
"Today, I step down as captain of the Indian Women's Cricket Team across all formats," she posted on her Instagram account.
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