Harmanpreet Kaur scripted history during India Women’s Asia Cup 2026 clash against Pakistan, becoming the first player in men’s or women’s cricket to captain a side in 150 T20I matches.
The India captain reached the landmark when she walked out to lead the team against Pakistan. Her achievement puts her at the top of the list for most matches as captain in Women’s T20Is. She has been a prominent figure in India’s T20I setup for more than a decade and has continued to lead the side through multiple international campaigns. Her latest landmark also comes during India’s Asia Cup campaign. India entered the Pakistan clash after winning their opening two matches of the tournament against Thailand and Hong Kong, China. India went into the Pakistan match with an unchanged playing XI. India Women (Playing XI): Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Nandani Sharma, Shree Charani, Kranti Gaud. Pakistan Women (Playing XI): Muneeba Ali(w), Shawaal Zulfiqar, Gull Feroza, Ayesha Zafar, Sadaf Shamas, Fatima Sana(c), Umm-e-Hani, Eyman Fatima, Tuba Hassan, Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal Harmanpreet’s historic captaincy milestone came shortly after Smriti Mandhana’s record-breaking performance against Hong Kong, China.
Harmanpreet Kaur now has 150 T20Is as captain, well ahead of Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu, who is second on the list with 121 matches. Australia’s Meg Lanning, who has retired from international cricket, follows with 100 matches as captain, while England’s Heather Knight and Rwanda’s Diane Bimenyimana have both led their teams in 96 T20Is. 150 – Harmanpreet Kaur (India) 121 – Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka) 100 – Meg Lanning (Australia) 96 – Heather Knight (England) 96 – Diane Bimenyimana (Rwanda) The 150th match marks another major milestone in Harmanpreet Kaur’s long international career. Mandhana smashed 124 off 64 balls in that match, adding another major individual achievement to India’s Asia Cup campaign.
