October 7, Kathmandu – Harmanpreet Kaur, the long-serving captain of the Indian women’s cricket team, has announced her resignation from captaincy across all three formats. However, she will continue to play for the national team. This decision came shortly after India secured their second consecutive gold medal in women’s cricket at the Asian Games.
Under her leadership, India won the Women’s One Day International World Cup title for the first time last November. Harmanpreet made her announcement following a review meeting held by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in Guwahati. The meeting was chaired by BCCI secretary Devjit Sakia and attended by head coach Amol Mazumdar and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana.
The 37-year-old had led the Indian T20 team since 2016, took over as ODI captain in 2022, and became captain across all three formats in 2023. Announcing her decision to step down, Harmanpreet described it as an emotional and difficult choice. She reflected on the years of memories, feelings, sacrifices, and significant moments associated with captaincy that will always stay with her. “Now, I am ready to play purely for my love of the game. The captaincy chapter has ended, but the journey continues,” she stated.
While acknowledging the emotional nature of her decision, Harmanpreet expressed confidence in the current state of the Indian team, stating she believes the team is well-positioned going forward.
