A new era has officially begun. Smriti Mandhana captain of India’s women’s cricket team — the BCCI on Tuesday announced the 30-year-old as the all-format leader, hours after Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down, ending years of speculation about the succession.
Mandhana, who has previously led India in 18 T20Is and four ODIs and captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru to Women’s Premier League titles, takes charge for the first time as permanent skipper.
Smriti Mandhana Captain: The Official Announcement
The BCCI announced Mandhana’s appointment minutes before naming the squads for the upcoming white-ball series against Zimbabwe. Shafali Verma will be her deputy in the T20I series, while Deepti Sharma serves as vice-captain in the ODIs.
“Being responsible for leading India is a very special honour,” Mandhana said in the BCCI release, acknowledging Harmanpreet’s contribution: “She has led the team with great commitment and has been an important part of our journey.”
India Women’s Squads for the Zimbabwe Series
The Harmanpreet Kaur era ended on Tuesday, but the former captain remains in both squads as a player. The notable absentees: Jemimah Rodrigues, still recovering from a hamstring injury, and Renuka Singh Thakur.
T20I squad (Raipur, Oct 16, 18, 20): Smriti Mandhana (C), Shafali Verma (VC), Niki Prasad, Harmanpreet Kaur, Anushka Sharma, Richa Ghosh (WK), G Kamalini (WK), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Sree Charani, Nandni Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Jintimani Kalita, Minnu Mani. Niki Prasad and Jintimani Kalita earn maiden call-ups.
ODI squad (Vadodara, Oct 23, 25, 28): Smriti Mandhana (C), Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur, Harleen Deol, Tejal Hasbunis, Deepti Sharma (VC), Richa Ghosh (WK), Yastika Bhatia (WK), Vaishnavi Sharma, Nandni Sharma, Sree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare, Renuka Thakur.
The Road Ahead
The Zimbabwe series is the first assignment of the Smriti Mandhana captain era — and a prelude to bigger targets: the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028 and, crucially, the LA Olympics, for which India have already qualified. A fresh leadership group, young debutants and a home series to start — the timing could hardly be better.
