Former India Women’s Captain Diana Edulji has called for a major rethink of India’s women’s team leadership structure, urging the BCCI to adopt split captaincy across formats and begin planning for the next generation of leaders following the team’s disappointing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup campaign.
Speaking at the Maharani Trophy KSCA T20 trophy unveiling ceremony at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Edulji argued that India’s leadership transition should not be delayed any longer and said the team would also benefit from adopting specialist coaches across formats.
Edulji pushes for leadership transition
Edulji believes India’s leadership should be shared across formats, with Smriti Mandhana handed greater responsibility while Harmanpreet Kaur continues to play a key role in the Test side.
“It is time to move on, at least in the captaincy part. We cannot keep Smriti waiting in the wings for so long. We can ask Smriti to lead at least in the T20 format, and perhaps in 50-over too. Harmanpreet can continue in Tests. We can even have three different coaches; we don’t need one coach for all three formats,” Edulji said.
Her comments came after Harmanpreet was retained as Captain for the upcoming Asian Games, a decision Edulji disagreed with, while also renewing the conversation around whether India’s women’s team should follow a format-specific leadership model similar to that adopted elsewhere in international cricket.
Edulji also questioned whether the demands of captaincy were affecting Harmanpreet’s performances, saying, “I believe Harmanpreet 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,” she added.
While India exited the Women’s T20 World Cup in the semi-finals against Australia, Harmanpreet has also overseen significant successes, including India’s 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup triumph and the recent Test victory over England at Lord’s, making the leadership discussion one centred on long-term succession rather than recent results alone.
Looking ahead, Edulji said India already has players capable of taking on greater responsibility, stating, “We definitely have talent, namely Smriti and Shafali. We need to train these cricketers to lead moving forward.”
Earlier calls echoed similar views
Edulji’s remarks add to a leadership debate that has gathered momentum in recent days.
Last week, former India Women’s Captain Mithali Raj also backed a change in leadership structure while speaking to PTI, saying, “But now also, with the vast experience that she has at least the one-day and Test format should be given to her and perhaps the T20 to someone younger.”
Raj’s similarly pointed towards a format-based approach, reinforcing the growing conversation around how India should manage leadership across the three formats in the years ahead.
Mandhana had also indicated she would be willing to take on the responsibility if asked. Speaking to The Times of India last week, she said, “Yes, of course. I am ready.”
With Edulji’s intervention now adding further weight to the discussion, the debate around India’s long-term leadership strategy is likely to remain firmly in focus as the team prepares for its next international assignments.
