Smriti Mandhana named India women’s full-time captain
Smriti Mandhana has been named full-time captain of the Indian women’s cricket team. The BCCI announced the decision after Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down from the role across all formats.
Mandhana, 30, is a left-handed opener who has played for India since 2013. She has already led the side in 18 T20Is and four ODIs. She also guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru to Women’s Premier League titles in 2024 and 2026.
Her elevation followed a review meeting in Guwahati with BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, coach Amol Muzumdar and the selectors. Harmanpreet, who led India to the 2025 ODI World Cup title on home soil, will continue as a player.
Mandhana called the appointment a special honour and thanked Harmanpreet for her contribution over the years.
Her first assignment will be the home series against Zimbabwe, with three T20Is in Raipur from October 16 and three ODIs in Vadodara. Shafali Verma will be her deputy in the T20Is.
Khabar 24h Editorial Desk — our explainers are prepared by the Khabar 24h editorial team using AI-assisted research tools, and every piece is reviewed by a human editor before publishing. We do not claim original reporting: our work is turning complex topics into simple, accurate summaries. Spotted an error? Write to contact@khabar24h.com — our corrections policy aims for same-day review.
More from this author →
Leave a Reply