NEW DELHI: India women’s ODI World Cup-winning captain Harmanpreet Kaur has stepped down from captaincy in all three formats. Kaur had been India’s full-time T20I captain since 2018 and took charge of the ODI team in 2022, succeeding legendary batter Mithali Raj.“Today, I step down as captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team across all formats. This is not an easy decision. It carries years of memories, emotions, sacrifices, and moments that will stay with me for the rest of my life,” Kaur wrote on Instagram.Harmanpreet made history by becoming the first woman captain to lead India to a senior ICC World Cup title. She guided India to their maiden ODI World Cup trophy after the team defeated South Africa on home soil.Under Harmanpreet, India also won four Asia Cup titles. The team finished on top in 2012, 2016, 2022 and 2026. She also led India to consecutive gold medals at the Asian Games. The team won gold in Hangzhou in 2022 before successfully defending the title at the Aichi-Nagoya Games in 2026.Harmanpreet also led India to their first bilateral women’s ODI series victory in England since 1999. India achieved the historic result in 2022. Her captaincy also produced major wins in the longer and shorter formats. India recorded a historic Test victory against Australia in 2023 and secured a breakthrough T20I series win against England in 2025.Harmanpreet also became the first cricketer to captain a team in more than 150 T20I matches, going past leading men’s captains such as MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma.Earlier this year, she led India to a 270-run victory over England in the first-ever women’s Test played at Lord’s Cricket Ground.After years at the helm, Harmanpreet has now decided to step away from captaincy while continuing her journey as a player.
Harmanpreet Kaur steps down as captain: Full statement
Today, I step down as captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team across all formats.This is not an easy decision. It carries years of memories, emotions, sacrifices, and moments that will stay with me for the rest of my life.I have given everything I had to this team and to Indian women’s cricket — my blood, my sweat, my time, and many times, a part of my own game and personal ambitions. There were moments when I had to put my individual performance, my own growth, and what I wanted for myself aside, because I believed the team had to come first.As a captain, I have had to make difficult decisions.Decisions that were not always understood, not always easy, and sometimes came at a personal cost. But every decision I made was with one intention – to make this TEAM better and to give other players the opportunity to grow, believe in themselves and become the best versions of themselves.I have seen it all.I have seen the lowest moments, the heartbreak, the criticism, the doubts and the days when nothing seemed to go our way. And I have also experienced the highest highs – the victories, the celebrations, the pride of representing our country, and the moments that made every sacrifice worth it.| leave the captaincy today with a heart full of emotions , but also with PEACE .Because I genuinely believe My team is in a good place. A team with talent, character, belief and a future that I am incredibly excited to watch and be a part of .I feel I have done my duty.I gave this team everything I had. I carried the responsibility with pride, and I will always be grateful for the privilege of leading Indian women’s cricket.Now, it is time for me to turn the page.Captaincy may end today, but my love for Indian cricket never will.Thank you to every teammate, coach, support staff, management , BCCI , family members every single fan who stood by me through the highs and lows.Blood. Sweat. Sarifice. Pride.I gave it allNow, I’m ready to play for the love of the game again.Captaincy ends. The journey continues.
