The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has appointed Smriti Mandhana as the captain of the Indian women's cricket team.
Mandhana will serve as India's full-time white-ball captain, leading the team in both One-Day Internationals and T20 Internationals. She succeeds Harmanpreet Kaur, who stepped down from the captaincy across formats on October 6, 2026.
Editorial Insight
Key Highlights
Important points readers should notice.
Smriti Mandhana has been appointed India's full-time white-ball captain.
She takes over from Harmanpreet Kaur.
Mandhana has previously captained India in 18 T20Is and four ODIs.
She has been part of the Indian team since 2013.
She led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to WPL titles in 2024 and 2026.
Her first series as full-time captain will be against Zimbabwe.
Mandhana has been part of the Indian team since 2013 and has previous experience leading India. According to the BCCI, she has captained India in 18 T20Is and four ODIs before taking on the full-time white-ball leadership role.
The BCCI also noted Mandhana's leadership experience in domestic and franchise cricket. She most recently led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to Women's Premier League titles in 2024 and 2026.
Mandhana's first assignment as full-time captain will be India's upcoming home series against Zimbabwe. The teams will play three T20Is in Raipur from October 16, followed by three ODIs in Vadodara from October 23.
Editorial Analysis
Why This Matters
Mandhana's appointment marks a change in India's women's white-ball leadership. She now takes permanent responsibility for the team's ODI and T20I campaigns after previously serving as Harmanpreet Kaur's deputy and captaining India on an interim basis.
The BCCI has named Mandhana captain in both the T20I and ODI squads for the Zimbabwe series, with Shafali Verma serving as T20I vice-captain and Deepti Sharma as ODI vice-captain.
