Smriti Mandhana posts special Instagram story for Harmanpreet Kaur amid rift rumours

Smriti Mandhana has shared a heartfelt message for Harmanpreet Kaur after the latter stepped down as captain of the Indian girls’s cricket team throughout all three codecs. Mandhana was subsequently named Harmanpreet’s successor, bringing a brand new chapter to India’s management group.

Harmanpreet Kaur’s choice got here after a decade at the helm throughout codecs and shortly after she led India to their second successive Asian Games gold medal. While studies had steered there had been variations between the two senior gamers, Mandhana’s message publicly highlighted the bond and respect between them.

Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur not on good phrases: Studies

Mandhana was the plain candidate to take over after Harmanpreet determined to relinquish the captaincy. She has established herself as one of the leading batters in girls’s cricket and has additionally gained management expertise with India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru within the Ladies’s Premier League.

Harmanpreet Kaur, in the meantime, had been India’s leader for a outstanding interval. She first captained the facet as a stand-in in 2012, became the full-time T20I captain in 2016 and took charge of the ODI facet in 2022. She eventually became India’s all-format captain.

Questions round India’s management had increased after the team exited the 2026 T20 World Cup at the league stage, following a similar early exit within the 2024 edition. Mandhana had additionally beforehand indicated her readiness to take up greater management responsibility.

Studies steered that the captaincy had created some unease between Harmanpreet and Mandhana, who had shared a strong professional relationship for years. A team some time”, which had contributed to an uncomfortable ambiance within the dressing room

Meanwhile, Harmanpreet’s captaincy finally ended after she led India to the 2025 Ladies’s ODI World Cup title and the 2026 Asian Games gold medal.

Ten years of your management have been improbable – Smriti Mandhana on Harmanpreet Kaur

Smriti Mandhana’s message provided a distinct image from the studies surrounding their relationship. After being appointed India’s new captain, she acknowledged Harmanpreet’s contribution and reflected on the years that they had spent taking part in collectively.

“Its been a pleasure taking part in with you for therefore many years. Ten years of your management have been improbable and collectively, We are going to attempt to carry many extra laurels for our nation,” Smriti Mandhana acknowledged on her Instagram story.

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In another statement, Smriti Mandhana particularly thanked Harmanpreet for her contribution to the Indian team.

“I would additionally like to acknowledge Harmanpreet and the contribution she has made as captain over time. She has led the team with great dedication and has been an vital part of our journey,” she acknowledged.

Harmanpreet Kaur’s main information as India captain

Harmanpreet leaves the captaincy with one of the strongest management information in Indian girls’s cricket. She led India in 211 international matches and finished with 126 wins, the most by an Indian girls’s captain.

Her greatest achievement got here in 2025, when she became the primary Indian girls’s captain to win an ICC World Cup. India defeated South Africa within the final to say their maiden Ladies’s ODI World Cup title. She additionally led India to 4 Asia Cup titles, two consecutive Asian Games gold medals and a Commonwealth Games silver.

Harmanpreet additionally finished with 92 T20I wins as captain, the most by any captain in girls’s T20I cricket. She registered 4 Test wins as captain, another report for an Indian girls’s captain.

Her management period subsequently ends with a protracted listing of milestones, at the same time as Mandhana now takes responsibility for the next phase of Indian girls’s cricket. The transition additionally gives the two senior gamers a chance to continue working collectively, with Harmanpreet remaining part of the team as a player.

Supply: cricketaddictor.com