However, the 37-year-old seemingly rejected the offer, going on to announce her resignation as skipper from all formats a few hours later. The decision came following a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) review meeting in Guwahati, which was attended by Harmanpreet, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and head coach Amol Muzumdar. Reportedly, Harmanpreet was offered the chance to remain as captain in one format, preferably ODIs.
After a decade-long tenure as India’s women’s cricket captain across all three formats, Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down from her role on Tuesday.
Now, the BCCI is planning to build the Indian women’s cricket team around Smriti Mandhana, who is set to take over as captain, with the T20 World Cup 2028 and the Los Angeles Olympics in the same year in focus. The next 50-over Women’s Cricket World Cup is nearly three years away, in 2029.
“Today, I step down as captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team across all formats,” Harmanpreet wrote in an Instagram post. As per a report by Cricbuzz, the BCCI meeting took place with the specific agenda of reviewing the position of Harmanpreet Kaur as captain and Amol Muzumdar as head coach. “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. Blood. Sweat. Sacrifice. Pride. I gave it all. Now, I’m ready to play for the love of the game again. Captaincy ends. The journey continues,” she further wrote.
Captaincy may end today, but my love for Indian cricket never will.
The report further states that despite leading India to a historic first Women’s Cricket World Cup triumph in 2025, Harmanpreet was under pressure following failures to qualify for the semi-finals in back-to-back Women’s T20 World Cups. Earlier reporting noted: Harmanpreet Kaur steps down as captain of India women’s team Indian women’s cricket team’s long-serving captain Harmanpreet Kaur on Tuesday (October 6, 2026) stepped down from her position in all three formats, saying that she has done her duty as leader and is now “ready to play for the love of the game again. Earlier reporting noted: The 37-year-old led the Indian T20 side for a decade, taking over the position in 2016, and was elevated to ODI captaincy in 2022 before becoming the all-format leader in 2023.
Chaired by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, the meeting was attended by Harmanpreet, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and head coach Amol Muzumdar.
Earlier reporting noted: Harmanpreet’s announcement came after a BCCI review meeting in Guwahati to evaluate the team’s trajectory in the past few months.
