The BCCI has named Smriti Mandhana captain of India’s women’s squads for the home series against Zimbabwe, hours after Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down. Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma are vice-captains for the T20Is and ODIs respectively, and Harmanpreet remains in the squads.
The question left open by Harmanpreet’s decision was answered within hours. The women’s selection committee announced India’s T20I and ODI squads for the Zimbabwe series on October 6, and Smriti Mandhana’s name sat at the top of both lists as captain.
A quick handover
Harmanpreet had said she was stepping down as captain across formats, and the announcement of her decision had left Mandhana, the vice-captain, as the widely expected successor. The BCCI’s squad announcement turned that expectation into fact: Mandhana leads both the T20I and ODI squads.
Harmanpreet, who captained India to the Women’s World Cup title in November 2025, is part of the squads as a player. Shafali Verma will deputise in the T20Is and Deepti Sharma in the ODIs, giving Mandhana an experienced leadership group around her.
Raipur and Vadodara
The series begins with three T20Is in Raipur on October 16, 18 and 20, all starting at 7 pm. Three ODIs follow in Vadodara on October 23, 25 and 28, with a 2 pm start.
Mandhana has captained India before in white-ball cricket and has led Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women’s Premier League, so the role is not unfamiliar.
What it means
The series against Zimbabwe gives Mandhana an early stage on which to start her captaincy, with a settled leadership group and a World Cup-winning core largely intact. It marks the first assignment of a new era after Harmanpreet’s long spell in charge.
