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What could another World Cup heartbreak mean for Harmanpreet Kaur? Decoding the fate



Harmanpreet Kaur at the 2025 ICC Women's World Cup [Source: AFP Photos]Harmanpreet Kaur at the 2025 ICC Women's World Cup [Source: AFP Photos]

Team India began their 2025 Women’s World Cup campaign at home like a roaring locomotive, bulldozing past Sri Lanka and arch-rivals Pakistan with purpose and flair. However, as has so often been the case in global tournaments, tables soon turned for the worse for Harmanpreet Kaur’s troops as their blazing start gradually lost steam, losing three games in a row despite holding the upper hand in all three up until the final 45 minutes of play.

Under the famed and decorated leadership of Harmanpreet, India Women’s team has been scaling new heights in terms of consistency, especially in bilateral assignments. Yet, an ICC silverware continues to elude the ‘Women in Blue’ even though they enter every tournament as one of the favourites.

Harmanpreet Kaur: All hype and no ICC trophies

Harmanpreet Kaur first became India’s T20I captain in late-2016, a few months after the 2016 T20 World Cup. Six years later, she took over team’s full-term ODI reigns following the retirement of Mithali Raj after the 2022 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.

A dependable middle-order batter, Harmanpreet often comes up clutch in crunch games. Even as captain, she has carried the team’s hopes on her shoulders with trademark grit and unflinching intent. A testament to that is her two Asia Cup wins (2016 and 2022), an Asian Games gold from 2022, and a silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Add to that, Harmanpreet Kaur’s captaincy résumé also includes multiple bilateral series wins (both home and away). With medals, series wins and talents like Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma at her disposal, her leadership tenure continues to be overshadowed by India’s barren run at ICC events. Her Indian team did come close, once, but were left overtly humbled by a dominant Australian unit at the 2020 Women’s World Cup final.

Harmanpreet Kaur track record in ICC events

ICC event
Result
Played
Won/Lost
2018 T20 WCSemi-finalists54/1
2020 T20 WCRunners-up64/1 (1 NR)
2022 ODI WCGroup stage73/4
2023 T20 WCSemi-finalists53/2
2024 T20 WCGroup stage42/2

Predicting Harmanpreet Kaur’s captaincy future after 2025 WC

Three defeats in a row in a home World Cup has already pushed India’s 2025 semifinal hopes to the brink. India’s unexpected slide in the tournament after exceptional show in preceding bilaterals has not only dented the team’s campaign but also reignited scrutiny around Harmanpreet Kaur’s leadership.

Having been at the helm, at least in T20Is, for nearly a decade, another failure for Harmanpreet in guiding India’s brightest talent towards global success might well spark uncomfortable questions regarding her position.

Several fans and cricket experts have already started wondering if Harmanpreet Kaur’s leadership for Team India has reached its saturation point. Her decision making with the team may all come under the scanner in case BCCI decides to reassess the direction of its women’s cricket setup.

Harmanpreet Kaur captaincy overall stats in T20Is, and ODIs

Format
Matches
Wins
Losses
Tied
N/R
Women's ODIs44271610
Women's T20Is127734815

Fifth time’s the reckoning

For nearly a decade, the Indian Women team under Harmanpreet Kaur’s leadership has demonstrated a similar pattern: starting out strong in an ICC event before faltering at its critical juncture. If Harmanpreet’s troops manage to overcame recent setbacks and past history to win the ongoing 2025 ICC Cricket World Cup edition, the triumphant moment could very well re-define her legacy.

Team India will now face New Zealand Women in a must-win game on October 23.