Archive · 6 Oct 2026
Mandhana Poised to Lead India After Harmanpreet Steps Down
Harmanpreet Kaur has stepped down as captain of India's women's cricket team.
The change followed a meeting with the cricket board.
Smriti Mandhana is expected to become the next captain, but there has not been an official announcement.
Mandhana is an experienced batter with more than 10,000 runs.
She has said she is ready to lead the team.
India has had strong results in some competitions but also early exits from recent T20 World Cups.
The article says earlier captaincy changes caused difficulties between players.
It is not yet clear how the new leadership will affect the team.
Harmanpreet Kaur has resigned as India captain across formats after a review meeting with the BCCI.
Smriti Mandhana is widely expected to succeed her, though the BCCI has not officially announced a replacement.
Mandhana has more than 10,000 international runs and recently said she was ready to lead.
The article links the leadership change to concerns about results, including India's recent T20 World Cup exits.
Past captaincy changes have reportedly strained team relationships, raising questions about the transition.
- Who
- Harmanpreet Kaur and expected successor Smriti Mandhana, captains of the Indian women's cricket team.
- What
- Harmanpreet has stepped down from captaincy across formats; Mandhana is expected to take over, pending an official announcement.
- When
- After a BCCI review meeting; no specific date for the announcement is given.
- Where
- India's women's cricket team; the review meeting was held in Guwahati.
- Why
- The change followed a review and concerns about team performance; the article also describes captaincy as a source of tension.
Case for a change
Reasons for caution
Timing of Mandhana's appointment
Case for a change
Mandhana is described as India's leading batter, an experienced player, and ready to lead; the article says Mithali Raj believed she should have been elevated earlier.
Reasons for caution
The article notes that leadership transitions have previously caused factionalism and strained relationships, and says it remains to be seen whether the players can move past tensions.
Harmanpreet's role after stepping down
Case for a change
The captaincy change is presented as a chance to address performance concerns and focus on winning bigger tournaments.
Reasons for caution
Harmanpreet reportedly intends to continue as a player for another two or three years, and the article says she will need to improve her batting to remain in contention.
- Outgoing captain
- Harmanpreet Kaur resigned from captaincy across formats.
- Expected successor
- Smriti Mandhana is described as the obvious choice, but no BCCI announcement has been made.
- Review meeting
- The meeting was chaired by BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia in Guwahati.
- Mandhana's experience
- She made her international debut in 2013 and has scored more than 10,000 runs across formats.
- Harmanpreet's tenure
- She first captained India in 2016.
- Reported team concerns
- The article cites consecutive early exits from T20 World Cups and reported unease between the two players.
- Past achievement
- Harmanpreet recently captained India to a second consecutive Asian Games gold, according to the article.