Smriti Mandhana as Captain Explained: What Changes for India
Smriti Mandhana is India’s new women’s cricket captain across formats. Here is what the change means.
Why now: Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down on October 6 after leading India to the 2025 ODI World Cup title and Asian Games gold. She stays on as a player.
Why Mandhana: the 30-year-old opener has been Harmanpreet’s deputy for years and already led India in 22 white-ball games. She captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru to two Women’s Premier League titles.
Her record: India’s leading run-scorer in women’s internationals, with a record 18 centuries across formats.
What is next: her first test is the home series against Zimbabwe, three T20Is in Raipur from October 16 and three ODIs in Vadodara from October 23. Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma will be her deputies.
The bigger picture: India build toward the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy at home next February.
The BCCI announced the change on Tuesday. Mandhana, 30, made her India debut in 2013 and has already captained the side in 22 white-ball games. She led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to WPL titles in 2024 and 2026.
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