3 players who could replace Harmanpreet Kaur as India Women captain
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Harmanpreet Kaur officially stepped down from the captaincy of India from all three formats.
Harmanpreet Kaur made a shocking announcement and has stepped down from the captaincy of all three formats. She shared an emotional post on social media and confirmed her decision.
It came as a shock to many Indian fans, as Harmanpreet led India to the gold medal in the Asian Games 2026 a few weeks back. It is the end of an era, and India will be searching for her successor to lead the team across formats.
Under Harmanpreet, India won the 2025 Women’s ODI Cup and gold medals in the Asian Games 2023 and 2026, respectively. Following her decision, the race for the captaincy of India’s women’s cricket has opened up. There are a few names that are among the top contenders to replace here, and we will talk about the top three.
3 Top contenders to replace Harmanpreet Kaur for captaincy of India’s women’s team
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3. Deepti Sharma
Deepti Sharma is among the first-choice players in India’s women’s cricket across all three formats. She made her debut for India in 2014 and has been a consistent performer across all departments. She has featured in more than 280 matches across formats, scoring more than 4000 runs and taking 380 wickets.
Deepti has led in WPL, and her immense international experience makes her a potential future leader for Team India in women’s cricket.
2. Jemimah Rodrigues
The swashbuckling Indian batter Jemimah Rodrigues is the all-format player for India. She has been with the team for almost a decade and has played close to 200 international matches. She comes with a calm head and composed mind, which helps her to make decisions under pressure.
Jemimah played a key role in India winning the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025, playing a match-winning knock in the semifinal against Australia. She recently took the captaincy role of Delhi Capitals in the WPL and took them to the final also.
1. Smriti Mandhana
India’s current vice-captain, Smriti Mandhana, is probably the first-choice candidate to become the captain after Harmanpreet. She has led India on odd occasions in the absence of Harmanpreet. Smriti has established herself as India’s biggest match-winner across formats.
She recently became the leading run-scorer in women’s cricket history. She is in her prime and still has several years to give to Indian cricket. Hence, she is expected to take the responsibility of captain for Team India across formats.
How many matches did Team India play under the captaincy of Harmanpreet Kaur?
Harmanpreet Kaur led Team India in a total of 211 international matches across all three formats.
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