Harmanpreet Kaur Steps Down as India Captain After 10 Years

Harmanpreet Kaur ends her captaincy journey.

Harmanpreet first led India in T20Is in 2012 in an Asia Cup match against Pakistan in Guangzhou. She became T20I captain in 2016. After Mithali Raj retired from international cricket, Harmanpreet took over the captaincy of the ODI team in 2022 and also became India’s all-format captain a year later, in 2023. After nearly a decade at the helm, Harmanpreet is now stepping down as captain and is in a position to focus on her career as a cricket player. She described the decision as a difficult one and said: “My life in cricket is made up of memories, feelings, and sacrifices.” She also said she is proud to play cricket for the love of the game.

“Captaincy ends. The journey continues.”

A career in captaincy that is full of great achievements.Harmanpreet leaves the captaincy with a number of great accomplishments in her hands. Her biggest breakthrough success was when India won the Women’s ODI World Cup on home soil in November, in which the country became the first women's team to win the ODI World Cup in the format. She also led India to the Asia Cup title when the team won the eighth championship in a row. Recently, India won its second consecutive cricket gold medal at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.

Harmanpreet Kaur’s captaincy record. 

In her leadership career, Harmanpreet has led India in 211 international games. She was the captain of India in 51 ODI matches, winning 30 of them. She has won 92 of the 155 T20Is she has led India in, making her the most successful Indian captain in terms of T20I wins. She was also the captain of India in 5 Test matches, one of which was lost.

‘My Team Is in a Good Place’.

 Harmanpreet says she has decided to step down from the captaincy but is doing so with mixed emotions and peace of mind. The World Cup-winning captain believes the Indian women’s team is in a good place with good things to do now, she said. Her decision marks the end of an important phase of Indian women’s cricket. But Harmanpreet will still play for India as a player and will get another chance to see the all-time greatest cricketer on the field.