Smriti Mandhana Congratulates Harmanpreet Kaur on Successful Captaincy Stint

Newly appointed India women’s all-format captain Smriti Mandhana congratulated outgoing skipper Harmanpreet Kaur on Wednesday, praising her decade-long leadership and saying the team would strive to bring more laurels to the country.

Mandhana’s message came a day after Harmanpreet announced that she was stepping down as captain across Tests, ODIs and T20Is. “Ten years of your leadership have been fantastic,” Mandhana wrote in an Instagram story, adding that it had been a pleasure playing alongside her and that the team would work together for more success.

Harmanpreet’s decision followed a BCCI performance review meeting in Guwahati. Reports said the selectors favoured a change in leadership with an eye on the future, following India’s recent struggles, including an early exit from the T20 World Cup. Harmanpreet, however, remains part of the Indian squad as a player.

The 37-year-old leaves captaincy after one of the most successful leadership spells in Indian women’s cricket. Her biggest achievement came in 2025, when she led India to their maiden Women’s ODI World Cup title on home soil. That victory made her only the third Indian captain after Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni to win a 50-over World Cup.

Harmanpreet also guided India to two Asian Games gold medals, in 2023 and 2026, while leading the side to the 2020 T20 World Cup final and the semi-finals in 2018 and 2023. At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, India won silver under her leadership. She also captained India in five Tests, 51 ODIs and 155 T20Is, becoming the first captain in international cricket to lead a team in more than 150 T20Is.

Her leadership journey began in the T20I format in 2016, before she became India’s full-time ODI and Test captain in 2022 following Mithali Raj’s retirement. The BCCI also highlighted that Harmanpreet’s leadership journey had begun earlier, when she unexpectedly captained India in the 2012 Women’s T20 Asia Cup final and led the side to victory over Pakistan.

Mandhana now takes charge with considerable leadership experience of her own. Before becoming India’s full-time captain, she had led the national side in 18 T20Is and four ODIs. She has also captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru to two Women’s Premier League titles, in 2024 and 2026.

Her first assignment will be India’s home white-ball series against Zimbabwe, featuring three T20Is in Raipur from October 16 and three ODIs in Vadodara from October 23. Harmanpreet is included in both squads, signalling that her international playing career continues even though her captaincy has ended.

Harmanpreet said she leaves the leadership role with peace and pride, believing the team is in a strong position for the future. She thanked her teammates, coaches, support staff, BCCI, family and fans, and made it clear that while “captaincy ends,” her journey with Indian cricket continues.