For almost a decade, Harmanpreet Kaur was the face of India’s women’s team leadership. But now Indian cricket is entering a new chapter. Harmanpreet stepped down as captain across all three formats on
October 6 bringing an end to a tenure that began with her taking charge of the T20I side in 2016 and expanded to Tests and ODIs in 2022.
Smriti Mandhana, her long-time deputy, has now taken over as India’s new captain. It is a significant change, but not necessarily a complete break from the past. Harmanpreet’s captaincy had its share of difficult moments, but the defining achievement came in November 2025, when she became the first Indian women’s captain to lift the ODI World Cup.
Harmanpreet leaves behind a historic legacy
India’s run to the title included one of the greatest wins in women’s ODI history. Chasing 339 against Australia in the semi-final, India recovered from 59/2 as Harmanpreet scored 89 and added 167 with Jemimah Rodrigues. India eventually reached 341/5 with nine balls remaining. Three days later, they beat South Africa by 52 runs in the final to win their maiden World Cup.
BCCI VIDEO FOR HARMANPREET KAUR. 🇮🇳 https://t.co/UpinslVnkR
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) October 6, 2026
Her record goes beyond that trophy as Harmanpreet captained India in 5 Tests, 51 ODIs and 155 T20Is, leading the team to successive Asian Games gold medals in 2023 and 2026. She also became the first player, male or female, to captain in 150 T20Is. Even her final assignment as captain ended with another gold medal, as India defeated Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the 2026 Asian Games final.
Mandhana inherits a team at a different stage
Mandhana’s appointment does not represent an inexperienced player suddenly being handed the biggest job in Indian women’s cricket. The 30-year-old has been part of the Indian setup since 2013 and has already captained India in 18 T20Is and four ODIs. Her leadership credentials have also grown through franchise cricket, where she guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru to Women’s Premier League titles in 2024 and 2026.
She also arrives at the captaincy at the peak of her batting career. Mandhana recently became the leading run-scorer in women’s international cricket, surpassing Mithali Raj, and now holds the record for the most international centuries in women’s cricket with 18. That gives India something important, which is a captain who does not need to establish herself as a player while learning how to lead.
