Legacy to Remember After Harmanpreet Stepped Down as India Captain

A major leadership change recently occurred in Indian women’s cricket after Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down as captain across all formats. The experienced all-rounder shared her statement via an Instagram post on Tuesday (October 06), saying she has done her duty and it was a difficult decision to take.

The official announcement draws curtains on one of the most successful leaders' journeys in the history of Indian women’s cricket. However, the captaincy change occurred after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) review meeting.

India achieved several historic milestones and some heartbreaking defeats under Harmanpreet’s captaincy. As Smriti Mandhana takes charge as the new all-format captain, Harmanpreet would continue to contribute her best as a senior player in the squad.

A Quick Recap of Harmanpreet Kaur’s Captaincy Journey

Maiden Captaincy Stint: Stand-in-Captain during the Asia Cup 2012 final vs Pakistan (Won by 18 runs)
Regular T20I Skipper: From 2016 to 2026
Regular ODI Skipper: From 2022 to 2026
All-Format Captaincy: From 2023 to 2026
Total International Matches Won as Captain: 127 wins out of 211 matches
Total International Runs Scored as Captain: 5,216 Runs in 211 Matches

A Decade of Successful Leadership That Comes to An End

Harmanpreet Kaur’s captaincy journey began as a stand-in-skipper when she first led India to the Asia Games 2012 final. After becoming the regular T20I captain in 2016, she became the only Indian woman cricketer to lead a team in 150+ 20-over matches.

Harmanpreet secured 92 wins in 155 T20I matches, the most by any Indian captain in men’s and women’s cricket.

After Mithali Raj’s retirement in 2022, Harmanpreet Kaur became the regular ODI skipper. Under her leadership, India won 30 out of 51 ODIs, including the historic World Cup 2025 final against South Africa at home.

She was named as the all-format skipper in 2023, coinciding with a crucial phase when Indian women’s cricket visibility was on a rapid surge.

Considering the longest format’s captaincy record, Harmanpreet secured 4 wins out of 5 tests, including a single loss to Australia in March 2026.

Historic Achievements Under Harmanpreet Kaur’s Captaincy.

Indian women’s team maiden triumph in ODI World Cup 2025.
Won T20 Asia Cup in four different editions (in 2012, 2016, 2022, and 2026)
ODI Tri Series Win in Sri Lanka (in 2025)
Consecutive gold medal wins in Women’s cricket Asian Games (in 2023 and 2026)
Sensational 270-run win vs England at Lord’s in July 2026, as the iconic venue in London hosted the first-ever Test match in women’s cricket.
Third Indian skipper to win the 50-over World Cup across both men’s and women’s cricket after Kapil Dev (in 1983) and MS Dhoni (in 2011).
And so on…

Successful Captain’s Painful Losses in T20 Knockout Clashes

There were certain instances when Team India lost crucial matches under Harmanpreet Kaur’s captaincy, particularly in the T20 format.

Despite reaching closer to success, the heartbreaking eliminations overshadowed the veteran’s leadership skills and remarkable achievements during her captaincy tenure.

T20 World Cup 2018 Semi-Final: Lost to England by 8 Wickets.
T20 World Cup 2020 Final: Lost to Australia by 85 Runs.
Commonwealth Games 2022 Final: Lost to Australia by 9 Runs.
T20 World Cup 2023 Semi-Final: Lost to Australia by 5 Runs.

Captaincy Criticism: What Led to the Leadership Transition?

Harmanpreet Kaur’s decision to step down from captaincy came amidst increased criticism after suffering a group stage exit in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England. Notably, this was the second consecutive time since the 2024 edition that India failed to qualify for the T20 World Cup knockouts under her captaincy.

Despite leading India to its maiden Women’s ODI World Cup triumph and back-to-back gold medal wins in the Asian Games, Harmanpreet’s contribution was overlooked.

A few hours after the BCCI review meeting, Harmanpreet stepped down as captain even though she was offered the choice to retain captaincy in a single format (mostly ODIs).

As the transition phase started with Smriti Mandhana’s appointment as all-format captain, Harmanpreet’s leadership skills and achievements set a new benchmark for the current and upcoming generations of women cricketers.