Harmanpreet Kaur steps down as captain of India’s women’s cricket team

What the report says

Harmanpreet Kaur has stepped down as captain of India’s women’s cricket team across all formats, according to Al Jazeera, ending a long tenure that included major recent success for the side. Kaur, 37, announced the move in a social media post on Tuesday, saying she was leaving the role after years of memories and sacrifices.

Al Jazeera reported that Kaur had led India to their first ICC Women’s World Cup title on home soil in 2025 and had also recently guided the team to retain their gold medal at the Asian Games. The report said she became T20 captain in 2016 and later took on the ODI and Test captaincy in 2022. Indian media reports cited by Al Jazeera said she had met with the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s secretary, Devajit Saikia, shortly before the announcement.

Kaur’s record as skipper included five Tests, 51 ODIs and 155 T20Is, and Al Jazeera noted that she is the first player, man or woman, to captain her side in more than 150 T20 internationals. Smriti Mandhana, who has been her deputy since 2022, is seen as a leading candidate to replace her. More broadly, Kaur’s departure comes after a period in which India reached multiple semifinals and won the Women’s Asia Cup earlier in 2026, underscoring a successful era for the team.