Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down as India women's cricket team captain across all formats
She announced her decision through an Instagram post on Tuesday, October 6
Kaur had led India in Tests, ODIs and T20Is
Harmanpreet Kaur has stepped down as captain of the Indian women's cricket team across all three formats with immediate effect. The 37-year-old announced her decision on Tuesday, October 6, through a lengthy post on Instagram, bringing an end to her tenure as India's all-format captain.
The announcement comes just days after Harmanpreet led India to their first gold medal at the Asian Games 2026.
The Indian women's cricket team defeated Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the gold-medal match at Korogi Sports Park in Japan on Tuesday, with the victory giving India their first gold of the Games.
“Today, I step down as captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team across all formats. This is not an easy decision. It carries years of memories, emotions, sacrifices, and moments that will stay with me for the rest of my life,” Harmanpreet wrote.
The announcement came after a BCCI review meeting in Guwahati to assess the team's trajectory over the past few months. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia chaired the meeting, which was attended by Harmanpreet, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and head coach Amol Muzumdar.
Harmanpreet took over as India's T20I captain in 2016 and became the ODI captain in 2022 after Mithali Raj's retirement. She was appointed all-format captain in 2023, having previously served as Mithali's deputy and led the team on several occasions.
Her time at the helm included India's historic maiden ODI World Cup triumph in November last year. Under Harmanpreet, India also won their second successive Asian Games gold medal in women's T20 cricket.
Reflecting on her decision to leave the leadership role, Harmanpreet said she was confident about the team's direction and its future.
“I leave the captaincy today with a heart full of emotions , but also with PEACE. Because I genuinely believe My team is in a good place. A team with talent, character, belief and a future that I am incredibly excited to watch and be a part of,” she said.
Harmanpreet will continue to represent India as a player across all three formats. She also thanked her teammates, coaches, support staff, management, the BCCI, her family and fans for their support throughout her leadership journey.
“I feel I have done my duty.” Harmanpreet has confirmed that she will continue to be available for India in all formats. Captaincy may end today, but my love for Indian cricket never will. Thank you to every teammate, coach, support staff, management , BCCI , family members every single fan who stood by me through the highs and lows. Blood. Sweat. Sarifice. Pride. I gave it all”
She signed off by making it clear that stepping away from captaincy would not mean stepping away from the game.
“Now, I’m ready to play for the love of the game again. Captaincy ends. The journey continues,” she concluded.
Harmanpreet's World Cup triumph made her only the third Indian captain after Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni to win the 50-over World Cup.
She is also among the five Indian captains to have won a World Cup, alongside Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav, who led India to T20 World Cup titles in 2024 and 2026 respectively.
