Tension between Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur reportedly emerges after captaincy change

Dubai: It was no surprise that Smriti Mandhana was handed the India women’s captaincy after Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down from the role across formats. But the change comes after a period in which the leadership question reportedly created unease between the two senior players.

Harmanpreet, who first led India permanently in 2016, ended her captaincy tenure on a high after guiding the team to a second consecutive Asian Games gold in Japan. The 37-year-old’s decision came after a review meeting with the BCCI in Guwahati, chaired by secretary Devajit Saikia, where a change in leadership was made clear to her.

Mandhana had been the obvious successor. The 30-year-old left-hander is currently India’s leading batter and had openly indicated in a recent interview that she was ready to take on the responsibility.

The captaincy issue, however, had reportedly become a source of friction between the pair, who had previously shared a strong relationship.

“They were not seeing eye to eye for a while now and that led to an obvious unease in the dressing room,” a team source told according to NDTV.

Mandhana’s elevation also comes after India’s early exits from consecutive T20 World Cups had further intensified the scrutiny on the leadership. The Women in Blue did win their first ICC World Cup under Kaur’s leadership 2025.

But after India’s T20 World Cup exit in the UK earlier this year, former captain Mithali Raj had said Mandhana should have been made captain two or three years earlier.

Harmanpreet, meanwhile, is expected to continue as a player despite stepping down from captaincy. That could test the new leadership dynamic, particularly with Mandhana now responsible for leading the team having won two Indian Premier League (IPL) titles as Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s skipper.

Harmanpreet was not at her best during India’s recent Asia Cup and Asian Games campaigns. With her role now limited to batting, expectations will rise, and she will need to produce consistently to remain central to the side.