Why did Harmanpreet Kaur step down as India women's team captain?
Harmanpreet Kaur announced the decision following a BCCI review meeting, and said she is "ready to play for the love of the game again"
Harmanpreet Kaur has relinquished her captaincy of the Indian women's cricket team in all formats, citing a desire to play for the love of the game after a significant tenure. The decision follows a BCCI review meeting, and Kaur stated she leaves with peace and confidence in the team's future, emphasizing her playing journey continues. Under her leadership, India secured a second consecutive Asian Games gold in T20 cricket
Harmanpreet Kaur has relinquished her captaincy of the Indian women's cricket team in all formats, citing a desire to play for the love of the game after a significant tenure. The decision follows a BCCI review meeting, and Kaur stated she leaves with peace and confidence in the team's future, emphasizing her playing journey continues. Under her leadership, India secured a second consecutive Asian Games gold in T20 cricket
Harmanpreet Kaur has relinquished her captaincy of the Indian women's cricket team in all formats, citing a desire to play for the love of the game after a significant tenure. The decision follows a BCCI review meeting, and Kaur stated she leaves with peace and confidence in the team's future, emphasizing her playing journey continues. Under her leadership, India secured a second consecutive Asian Games gold in T20 cricket
In a surprise announcement on Tuesday, Harmanpreet Kaur has stepped down as India’s women’s team captain across all three formats. The long-serving captain of the Indian women's cricket team said that she has fulfilled her duty as a leader and is now "ready to play for the love of the game again”.
Harmanpreet's decision follows a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) review meeting in Guwahati, where the team's performance over the past few months was analysed. The meeting, chaired by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, was also attended by vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and head coach Amol Muzumdar.
The 37-year-old led the Indian T20 side for a decade after taking on the role in 2016. She later became the ODI captain 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 announced in a post on her Instagram account.
In a detailed statement, Harmanpreet explained the weight of her decision. "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."
She said that she is leaving the captaincy "with a heart full of emotions, but also with peace". She expressed her confidence in the squad's future, saying she believes the team “is in a good place".
She ended her message with a look to the future, adding, "Now, I'm ready to play for the love of the game again. Captaincy ends. The journey continues."
Harmanpreet led India in five Tests, 51 ODIs and 155 T20Is.
Under her leadership, India won the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup and the recent Asia Cup, and retained the gold medal at the Asian Games.
However, after India's failure to qualify for the T20 World Cup semifinals earlier this year and her poor run with the bat, especially in the T20 format, the chorus of criticism was growing with former players like Diana Edulji advocating Smriti Mandhana's elevation.