New Delhi, October 6, 2026 (Udaipur Kiran): Harmanpreet Kaur has stepped down as captain of the Indian women’s cricket team across all formats. The 37-year-old announced her decision through an Instagram post on Tuesday. Smriti Mandhana is likely to be considered as her replacement.
Harmanpreet leaves the captaincy with several major achievements to her name, including leading India to its first Women’s ODI World Cup title in 2025.
Under her leadership, India also won the Asia Cup titles in 2012, 2016, 2022 and 2026. During the 2012 Asia Cup, however, Harmanpreet captained only the final, while Mithali Raj led the team in the other matches.
In her farewell message, Harmanpreet said that stepping down was not an easy decision and that her journey had been filled with years of memories, emotions, sacrifices and moments that would remain with her for life.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s Major Achievements
- First Indian woman captain to win the ODI World Cup: India won its first Women’s ODI World Cup in 2025 under Harmanpreet’s captaincy.
- Historic 171 not out: Harmanpreet scored an unbeaten 171 against Australia in the 2017 Women’s World Cup semi-final, one of the tournament’s most memorable innings.
- First Indian woman to score a T20I century: She scored a century against New Zealand in 2018, becoming the first Indian woman to achieve the feat in T20Is.
- First cricketer to play 200 international T20 matches: Harmanpreet became the first cricketer in the world to reach the milestone.
- Most international matches in women’s cricket: In February 2026, she became the most-capped player in women’s cricket after reaching 382 international matches.
- 150 T20I matches as captain: In September 2026, she became the first cricketer in the world to captain in 150 T20I matches.
- Arjuna Award: She was honoured with the Arjuna Award for cricket in 2017.
- Padma Shri: In 2026, Harmanpreet was awarded the Padma Shri, the country’s fourth-highest civilian honour.
With Harmanpreet stepping down from captaincy across all formats, Smriti Mandhana could now take over the leadership of the Indian women’s team.
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.