It means Mandhana gets a fast-scoring deputy beside her while the old guard stays close. The BCCI confirmed on 6 October that Smriti Mandhana will lead India after Harmanpreet Kaur gave up the job in every format. Shafali will be second in command for T20Is, with Deepti Sharma filling the same post in ODIs. Harmanpreet remains in both squads, so the handover happens with the outgoing leader still in the room, and the board has signalled that it values continuity over a clean break.
A Handover With Harmanpreet Still Present
Harmanpreet Kaur’s decision to step away from all three formats closed a long chapter, and the board moved fast to name her successor. Mandhana inherits the job with 18 T20Is and 4 ODIs already behind her as leader, so this is a promotion rather than a leap into the unknown. The announcement landed roughly ten days before the first T20I of the new era, which leaves very little time for experiments or long adjustment periods.
Harmanpreet stays in both squads, and that choice matters as much as the appointment itself. A former captain batting in the middle of the order can offer advice without carrying the final call, which hands Mandhana a cushion from day one. It also avoids the awkwardness of a senior player being dropped the moment she hands over the armband. Jemimah Rodrigues is the notable absentee, ruled out by a hamstring problem.
Shafali Verma T20I vice captain and her 2026 Form
Shafali arrives in the role after the strongest year of her T20I career. She has scored 863 runs in 24 matches during 2026, averaging 39.22 at a strike rate of 162.83. Her overall numbers, measured up to 20 September, read 3,277 runs from 118 matches at 30.06, with a best of 100 not out. This calendar year has lifted her average nine runs above that career mark.
The Asian Games century against Bangladesh came off only 49 balls, the sort of innings that explains why selectors see her as more than an opener. Her most recent T20I was on 20 September, also against Bangladesh, so she steps into the new job with match rhythm intact. A deputy who scores at that pace gives Mandhana a second voice who understands attacking cricket, and a captain often leans hardest on the player who thinks as boldly as she does.
Mandhana’s Leadership Record So Far
Mandhana has led India in 18 T20Is and 4 ODIs, a sample big enough to reveal her habits but small enough that the real examination still lies ahead. Her franchise side, RCB, won the WPL crown under her in 2024 and again in 2026, and two titles in three seasons carry weight in a dressing room that wants stability. Winning with a club group is not the same as steering a national team, but the habit of closing out tournaments is something a new captain can carry into any dressing room.
Splitting the deputy jobs by format tells its own story. Shafali covers T20Is, where her scoring pace is the headline asset, while Deepti Sharma takes the ODI post, a role that suits a steadier all-round presence. Two different deputies for two different tempos suggests the selectors thought about fit rather than seniority, and it spreads responsibility across the group instead of loading it onto one person.
Fifteen Players and Six Matches in October
The T20I party blends Harmanpreet, Deepti and Richa Ghosh with Niki Prasad, Anushka Sharma, G Kamalini and Prema Rawat. Nandni Sharma, Sree Charani, Minnu Mani, Kranti Gaud, Jintimani Kalita and Arundhati Reddy complete the fifteen. A separate ODI squad has been named as well, with Deepti listed as deputy there, so several of these players will stay on for the longer format.
Raipur hosts the T20Is on 16, 18 and 20 October, each starting at 7:00 PM IST, while Vadodara stages the ODIs on 23, 25 and 28 October at 2:00 PM IST. All six games are in India, which means familiar conditions, loud crowds, and no long travel for a new captain finding her feet. How Mandhana uses her Shafali Verma T20I vice-captain choice across those first three evenings will shape the early verdict on this leadership group.