Smriti Mandhana named India's women's captain across all formats
The BCCI has appointed Smriti Mandhana as India's women's captain across all formats on a permanent basis, hours after Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down — with a home series against Zimbabwe her first assignment.
Smriti Mandhana will lead the Indian women’s cricket team across all formats, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Tuesday night, hours after Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down from the role IANS.
Mandhana, the long-time vice-captain, takes over on a permanent basis. She has previously stood in as captain in 18 T20 internationals and four one-day internationals, and led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to Women’s Premier League titles in 2024 and 2026 IANS.
“Having been part of the Indian team since 2013, Smriti brings considerable experience into the role,” the BCCI said in a statement, adding that she would lead “with the team entering a new phase and continuing to build on the progress made in recent years.”
“To be given the responsibility of leading India is a very special honour,” Mandhana said. “I would also like to acknowledge Harmanpreet and the contribution she has made as captain over the years.”
Her first assignment comes later this month with a home white-ball series against Zimbabwe — three T20Is and three ODIs — for which the BCCI also named new-look squads. Shafali Verma will be her deputy in the T20I series and Deepti Sharma in the ODIs, while Harmanpreet remains in both squads as a player Sportstar.
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