Harmanpreet Kaur Steps Down as India Women's Cricket Team Captain

New Delhi: Indian women's cricket team's long-serving captain Harmanpreet Kaur on Tuesday 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." Harmanpreet's announcement came after a BCCI review meeting in Guwahati to evaluate the team's trajectory in the past few months. Chaired by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, the meeting was attended by Harmanpreet, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and head coach Amol Muzumdar.

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.

"Today, I step down as captain of the Indian Women's Cricket Team across all formats," she posted on her instagram account.

"This is not an easy decision. It carries years of memories, emotions, sacrifices, and moments that will stay with me for the rest of my life," Harmanpreet said in a lengthy statement.

"Now, I'm ready to play for the love of the game again. Captaincy ends. The journey continues," she added.

Harmanpreet, under whom India won its maiden ODI World Cup in November last year and recently picked up a second successive Asian Games gold in the T20 format, said she is leaving the captaincy "with a heart full of emotions, but also with peace."

"Because I genuinely believe my team is in a good place," she said.