Harmanpreet Kaur’s decision to step down as India’s captain brings an end to one of the most important leadership eras in Indian women’s cricket. She leaves the role at 37, but not before helping the team
achieve something that had remained out of reach for generations.
When Harmanpreet first took charge of India’s T20I side in 2016, Indian women’s cricket was still searching for its biggest breakthrough. Ten years later, she steps away as the captain who led India to their first senior Women’s ODI World Cup title. That achievement makes her tenure historic. She officially became India’s full-time ODI captain in 2022 after Mithali Raj’s retirement and became the all-format captain in 2023. Across her captaincy career, she led India in five Tests, 51 ODIs and 155 T20Is.
The World Cup breakthrough
For decades, India had come close to winning the Women’s ODI World Cup without getting over the final hurdle. They were runners-up in 2005 and again in 2017. Harmanpreet herself was with the team in the 2017 campaign, producing one of the greatest innings in women’s World Cup history when she smashed an unbeaten 171 off 115 balls against Australia in the semi-final.
GREATEST MOMENT OF HARMANPREET KAUR CAPTAINCY ERA 🥹❤️ https://t.co/JRJQhWzrqg
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 6, 2026
Eight years later, she finally got to lift the trophy. India defeated South Africa in the 2025 final on home soil to win their maiden senior Women’s ODI World Cup. For Harmanpreet, it was the moment that completed a journey that had included heartbreak, criticism and years of expectation.
Also Read | Harmanpreet Kaur steps down as India women’s captain across all formats
A captain who kept breaking new records
Her leadership also coincided with several other landmarks for Indian women’s cricket. India won consecutive Asian Games gold medals, in 2022 and 2026 under Harmanpreet. The team also won four Asia Cup titles during her captaincy era, while India also won their first bilateral women’s ODI series win in England since 1999 in 2022.
Harmanpreet’s own longevity has been remarkable too. In February 2026, she became the most-capped player in women’s international cricket, moving past New Zealand’s Suzie Bates with her 356th appearance. She later became the first cricketer to reach 200 T20I appearances. Her batting numbers shows why she remained such an important player throughout the period.
She has scored more than 4,500 ODI runs, including seven centuries, with her career-best 171* still one of the defining knocks of her career. She has stepped away from captaincy but intends to continue playing for India. In her farewell message, she acknowledged that leadership had sometimes come at the cost of her own game and personal ambitions.
