Smriti Mandhana Named India Women’s Cricket Captain After Harmanpreet Kaur Steps Down
Smriti Mandhana has been named India’s new women’s cricket captain, taking over after Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down from the role earlier this month.
Mandhana, 30, brings previous captaincy experience across 18 T20 Internationals and four ODIs, along with a strong leadership record in franchise cricket, having led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to Women’s Premier League titles in 2024 and 2026. She currently holds the record for the most international centuries in women’s cricket across formats, with 18 hundreds, and recently became the format’s leading run-scorer.
Kaur, who led India to their first-ever ODI World Cup title and Asian Games gold before stepping down, said she intends to continue playing despite giving up the captaincy. Mandhana’s first assignment in the new role comes immediately, with a home series against Zimbabwe starting October 16, comprising three T20Is followed by three ODIs.
