Harmanpreet Kaur quits as India captain in all three formats, will continue as a player

Harmanpreet Kaur on Tuesday abruptly resigned as captain of the Indian women's cricket team in all three formats. She announced the decision just a day after a review meeting on the women's team called by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in Guwahati.

Head coach Amol Muzumdar and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana were present at the meeting. Mandhana is now strongly tipped to be named India's new captain.

The resignation was announced on Instagram. Harmanpreet wrote, "Today I am stepping down as captain of the Indian women's cricket team in all formats. This decision is not easy at all. It holds memories of many years, emotions, sacrifices and moments that will stay with me for life."

She went on to write, "Now I am ready to play once again for my love of the game. The journey of captaincy ends here, but the journey of the game will continue. I have mixed emotions, but also a sense of contentment. Because I am fully confident that my team is in the right hands and in good shape."

Harmanpreet, 37, made it clear that she would continue to play for the team as a player. She said she had given her best to the team as captain with complete dedication.

The Indian women's team saw many golden moments under Harmanpreet. Under her leadership, the team won the Asian Games and the Asia Cup. At the ODI World Cup played in India in 2025, she led India to its first world title. The team lost at the T20 World Cup, but her contribution has been invaluable.

Harmanpreet led the Indian T20 team for a full 10 years, having been given charge of T20s in 2016. She was made ODI captain in 2022 and has been India's captain in all three formats since 2023.

Harmanpreet is only the third Indian captain after Kapil Dev and Mahendra Singh Dhoni to win the 50-over World Cup. Her name has also joined the list of five Indian captains to have won any World Cup trophy. In men's cricket, Rohit Sharma led India to the T20 World Cup in 2024 and Suryakumar Yadav in 2026.

In other women's cricket news, Shafali Verma scored her first T20 international century and eased India into the final of the 2026 Asian Games. She is joint second among Indian women for the fastest century for India, equalling Harmanpreet Kaur's record.