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Diana Edulji has demanded the sacking of India women’s national cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur after the team failed to qualify for the semifinals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Sending the strong message to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Edulji believes that the time has come to move away from having one captain for all three formats of the game. She said that Harmanpreet has been leading the team for a long time, so she now needs freedom. Amid this, India vs Pakistan clash confirmed in Asian Legends League 2026; Yusuf Pathan, Shikhar Dhawan to feature.
Diana Edulji urges BCCI to free Harmanpreet Kaur from captaincy burden
Speaking at the trophy unveiling ceremony of the Maharani Trophy KSCA T20 in Bengaluru, Diana Edulji pointed out that the pressure of leading the team is now affecting Harmanpreet Kaur's own performance. So, she should be allowed to play freely as a batter without the extra burden of captaincy of all three formats of the game, as suggested by the former BCCI official.
She pointed out that Harmanpreet was once one of India's best all-rounders, but over the years she has focused more on batting, and now even her batting is not that impactful. Amid this, Ravindra Jadeja set for Sri Lanka Tests return; India's pace attack for series selected.
Diana Edulji said at the event, as quoted by News18, "I believe Harmanpreet Kaur is finding it difficult as captain. Her game is getting affected, so let her have a free hand as a batter. She used to be a great all-rounder, but then she limited herself to only batting. However, now we see her batting getting affected as well. I believe it’s been too long; we need to allow younger players to lead.”
Diana Edulji suggests split captaincy for India women
Further, Edulji has called for three different captains for Tests, ODIs, and T20Is, just like the men's team and give some space to Harmanpreet Kaur. However, Shubman Gill leads India in Tests and ODIs, while Shreyas Iyer was handed the T20I captaincy.
She wants the same arrangement for the women’s team as well to help the team build more leaders and also bring fresh energy into the dressing room.
The former cricketer also suggested the BCCI think about having different coaches for different formats for the women’s team because every format needs a different style of planning and different ideas. She feels fresh thinking is important if India wants to become a dominant side.
Currently, Amol Mazumdar is the head coach of the India women’s national cricket team across all three formats of the game. She added, “I recommend a split captaincy. Even a system with three different coaches would benefit us. It’s very important to bring in fresh ideas and get out of our comfort zone.”
Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma backed to replace Harmanpreet Kaur
Well, when asked who could become India's next captain, Edulji named Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma. She believes both players have the ability to become strong leaders in the future.
Even the former Indian captain Mithali Raj had also earlier backed these two stars for the captaincy. Edulji signed off by saying, “We definitely have talent, namely Smriti and Shafali. We need to train these cricketers to lead moving forward.”
