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Smriti Mandhana Set to Take Over India Captaincy After Harmanpreet Kaur Resigns

News18•06-10-2026, 19:15

•Harmanpreet Kaur has stepped down from the captaincy across formats following a review meeting with the BCCI after leading India to a second consecutive Asian Games gold.
•Smriti Mandhana, the country's leading batter with over 10,000 runs, is the obvious choice to succeed Harmanpreet as the new captain of the Indian women's cricket team.
•Reports indicated growing tension in the dressing room between Harmanpreet and Mandhana, making a leadership transition inevitable.
•Former captain Mithali Raj had previously suggested that Mandhana should have been handed the leadership role two or three years ago.
•Harmanpreet intends to continue playing as a pure batter for the next few years, raising expectations for her to significantly improve her batting form.

Key Questions Answered

Harmanpreet Kaur decided to step down from her captaincy across formats following a review meeting with the BCCI in Guwahati, where it was made clear that a change of guard had become inevitable.

Smriti Mandhana is the obvious and expected choice to take over the captaincy mantle from Harmanpreet Kaur following her resignation.

Harmanpreet Kaur ended her leadership tenure on a high note by captaining India to a second consecutive Asian Games gold medal in Japan.