Harmanpreet Kaur has resigned as captain of the Indian women’s cricket team across all formats. Her decision came after a review meeting conducted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in Guwahati on Monday.
Harmanpreet attended the meeting along with vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and head coach Amol Muzumdar. The meeting was led by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia. Harmanpreet’s future as captain was one of the main topics discussed.
Smriti Mandhana Set to Lead India
Calls for Harmanpreet’s removal had increased after India failed to reach the knockout stage of the Women’s T20 World Cup in England earlier this year. However, India later made a strong comeback.
The team won the Women’s Asia Cup in the UAE. It then followed that success with a gold medal at the Asian Games in Japan. Despite these results, Harmanpreet decided to step down from captaincy.
Former India captain Diana Edulji welcomed the decision.
“It is a good decision she has taken in the interest of the future of women’s cricket, by giving enough time to the new captain and the team to gel under her captaincy. As Mr Gavaskar has always said, people should ask ‘why’ and not ‘why not’. I wish her all the best for her future. She has a few years left, whichever format she chooses to play. She should enjoy the remaining time in her career,” Edulji told Cricbuzz.
Harmanpreet was reportedly offered the option of continuing as ODI captain. However, she chose to give up captaincy in both ODIs and T20Is.
The BCCI now plans to build the team around Mandhana. She has been Harmanpreet’s long-time deputy and is expected to become the new captain.
Mandhana could lead India towards the 2028 Women’s T20 World Cup and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The selectors are expected to announce the new captain soon. The decision could come with the squad announcement for India’s upcoming six-match white-ball series against Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe will play three T20Is in Raipur on October 16, 18 and 20. The three ODIs will be held in Baroda on October 23, 26 and 28.
