Harmanpreet Kaur steps down as India cricket captain

Harmanpreet Kaur has stepped down as captain of India’s women’s cricket team.

She announced the decision in an Instagram post on October 6, 2026, and said she wants to keep playing for India.

Kaur became widely known after scoring 171 not out against Australia in the 2017 World Cup semifinal.

She later led India to its first global women’s cricket title, at the 2025 ODI World Cup, and captained Mumbai Indians to the first Women’s Premier League championship in 2023.

India’s women’s game has also gained visibility and professionalism as the national cricket board took it under its wing and the WPL began.

Kaur has captained India in 51 One-Day Internationals and 155 Twenty20 Internationals, and she remains one of the team’s leading batters.

The sources do not say who will replace her as captain.