BCCI makes six major changes in Indian cricket as Smriti Mandhana becomes captain, squads are announced and the board begins its new selector search

New Delhi: The BCCI made six major changes in Indian cricket on October 6, covering leadership, team selection and administration. Smriti Mandhana replaced Harmanpreet Kaur as India women’s all-format captain, while the board named new vice-captains for the T20I and ODI teams. The BCCI also announced India’s women’s squads for the Zimbabwe series, the men’s T20I squad for the New Zealand tour and the India A squad for its New Zealand assignment. At the administrative level, the board opened applications for the vacant senior men’s selector post after Ajit Agarkar’s exit and gave VVS Laxman a bigger role in selection meetings. Here are the six major changes announced by the BCCI.

1. Smriti Mandhana replaces Harmanpreet Kaur as captain

The BCCI named Smriti Mandhana as India women’s new all-format captain on October 6 after Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down from the leadership role.

Mandhana has represented India since 2013 and brings extensive international experience to the position. She has previously captained India in 18 T20Is and four ODIs, according to ESPNcricinfo.

She has also led Maharashtra in domestic cricket and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women’s Premier League. Her first assignment as India’s full-time captain will come against Zimbabwe, with the T20I series beginning in Raipur on October 16.

Harmanpreet, meanwhile, will continue playing for India and remains part of both squads for the Zimbabwe series.

2. BCCI names new deputies and gives Mandhana experienced support

The BCCI has also made changes to India women’s vice-captaincy.

Shafali Verma will serve as the T20I vice-captain, while Deepti Sharma will become the ODI vice-captain.

The appointments give Mandhana two experienced players to support her during the transition.

Mandhana also enters the captaincy role after reaching several major milestones with the bat. In September 2026, she overtook Mithali Raj to become the leading run-scorer in women’s international cricket across all formats.

She also has 18 international centuries, the most by any player in women’s cricket.

3. BCCI announces women’s squads for Zimbabwe series

The BCCI announced separate T20I and ODI squads for India’s home series against Zimbabwe.

India will play three T20Is in Raipur on October 16, 18 and 20. The three-match ODI series will follow in Vadodara on October 23, 25 and 28.

T20I squad

Smriti Mandhana (c), Shafali Verma (vc), Niki Prasad, Harmanpreet Kaur, Anushka Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), G Kamalini (wk), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Sree Charani, Nandani Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Jintimani Kalita, Minnu Mani

ODI squad

Smriti Mandhana (c), Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur, Harleen Deol, Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma (vc), Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Vaishnavi Sharma, Nandani Sharma, Sree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare, Renuka Thakur

The squads combine established names with younger players as India begins the Mandhana era.

4. Niki Prasad gets maiden T20I call-up

One of the notable selection changes came with Karnataka batter Niki Prasad earning her maiden T20I call-up.

Prasad features in India’s squad for the three-match Zimbabwe T20I series. Her selection gives another young player an opportunity to break into the senior international setup.

The Zimbabwe series could therefore become an important platform for India to test fresh options while Mandhana starts her tenure as captain.

5. BCCI announces men’s New Zealand squads and brings Bhuvneshwar back

The BCCI announced India’s T20I squad for the men’s tour of New Zealand, with Shreyas Iyer named captain and Tilak Varma appointed vice-captain.

India will play five T20Is, beginning in Christchurch on October 22.

India men’s T20I squad

Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma (vc), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav

The biggest surprise in the squad is the return of Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

The experienced pacer returns to India’s T20I setup after nearly four years. His last T20I appearance came in November 2022.

The BCCI will announce India’s ODI and Test squads for the New Zealand tour separately.

6. India A gets a new squad while the BCCI changes its selection setup

The BCCI also announced the India A squad for a three-match multi-day series against New Zealand A.

Dhruv Jurel will lead the side and keep wickets.

India A squad

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Smaran, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper, subject to fitness), Dhruv Jurel (c & wk), Washington Sundar, Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Manav Suthar, Mukesh Choudhary, Sai Sudarsan, Yash Rathod, Mukesh Kumar

Rishabh Pant’s selection remains subject to fitness clearance.

Agarkar’s exit opens selector vacancy

Alongside the team changes, the BCCI has begun the process of appointing a new chairman of the senior men’s selection committee after Ajit Agarkar’s tenure ended.

The board has invited applications and set October 14, 2026, at 5 PM IST as the deadline. Pragyan Ojha currently serves as interim chairman.

The BCCI requires candidates to meet specific playing and retirement criteria. Applicants must, among other requirements, have played at least seven Tests or 30 first-class matches and must have retired from playing for at least five years.

The new chairman will also handle responsibilities such as submitting quarterly team-performance reports to the BCCI Apex Council, attending team meetings, watching domestic and international matches and addressing the media on selection matters.

VVS Laxman gets a bigger role

The BCCI has also expanded the role of VVS Laxman, who heads the Centre of Excellence.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed that Laxman will now attend all senior men’s selection committee meetings.

The move aims to improve communication between the selection committee and the Centre of Excellence, particularly regarding player fitness, injuries and rehabilitation timelines.

The BCCI wants the arrangement to prevent communication gaps between selectors and the Centre of Excellence when players return from injuries or undergo rehabilitation.

What these six BCCI changes mean for Indian cricket

The BCCI’s October 6 announcements bring changes across leadership, squads and administration. Mandhana now leads the women’s team, new deputies will support her, and several squads feature fresh opportunities for players.

At the same time, the return of Bhuvneshwar, Dhruv Jurel’s India A captaincy, the search for Agarkar’s replacement and Laxman’s expanded role point to a wider transition in Indian cricket. The changes could shape both teams’ next phase on the field and the decision-making structure off it.