Harmanpreet Kaur has stepped down as the captain of the Indian women’s cricket team across all formats, marking a major change in Indian women’s cricket. She announced her decision through a detailed post on Instagram on Tuesday.
Harmanpreet said the decision was not easy, but she believes she has fulfilled her responsibility as captain. She explained that leading India often meant putting her personal goals and individual performance behind the interests of the team.
“I believe I have done my duty,” Harmanpreet said while thanking her teammates, coaches, support staff, management, the BCCI and fans for their constant support.
Her decision comes after a highly successful period for Indian women’s cricket. India won the women’s cricket gold medal at the Asian Games recently, while the team had also secured the World Cup title a few months earlier.
Harmanpreet will continue playing for India despite giving up the captaincy. She said she now wants to focus more on her cricket and play simply because of her love for the game.
Her leadership journey began in 2012 during a T20 Asia Cup match against Pakistan in Guangzhou. She became India’s T20 captain in 2016 and took charge across all formats after Mithali Raj retired in 2022.
Smriti Mandhana is reportedly the leading contender to become India’s next captain.
