India's World Cup-winning captain Harmanpreet steps down

Harmanpreet Kaur led India to first-ever global womens cricket title on home soil in 2025 as they beat South Africa in the 50-over World Cup final; batter, 37, says she has given everything to India while captaining in five Tests, 51 one-day internationals and 155 T20 internationals

India's World Cup-winning captain Harmanpreet Kaur has stepped down from the role across all three formats.

The batter, 37, led India to their first-ever global women's title at the 2025 50-over World Cup on home soil.

Harmanpreet is only the third Indian captain, after men's players Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni, to guide a team to victory in that event.

Her last act in charge was steering her country to a second straight Asian Games gold last month, with India thrashing Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final.

Overall, Harmanpreet - who is likely to be succeeded by Smriti Mandhana - captained in five Tests, 51 one-day internationals and 155 T20 internationals.

Writing on Instagram, Harmanpreet said: "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.

Source: Sky Sports