Harmanpreet Kaur fires back when asked if Women's T20 World Cup is her last
Harmanpreet Kaur shut down a reporter after she was asked whether the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup would be her “last”.
Harmanpreet Kaur is showing no signs of slowing down, and the India captain shut down a reporter after she was asked whether the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup would be her last. Ahead of the tournament, which gets underway on June 12, the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday held a Captain's Day, during which the media quizzed all participating captains. Midway through the session, a reporter asked the 37-year-old whether she has any plans to retire or call it quits in World Cups.

However, Harmanpreet turned the tables on the journalist, asking him whether he thinks she should step away. When the reporter said that he was just asking the question, Harmanpreet responded with a sheepish smile.
Also Read: Women's World Cup an expression of ICC's commitment to build more inclusive, global game: Jay Shah
Here's how the exchange went between the reporter and Harmanpreet:
Reporter: Is this going to be your last World Cup?
Harmanpreet: Why?
Reporter: Just asking (laughs). Just checking. Glad it's not.
Harmanpreet: You think I should stop?
Reporter: Not at all. Just checking.
Harmanpreet: Then why are you asking?
Reporter: Just asking.
India to begin campaign on June 14
The Indian team's campaign in the Women's T20 World Cup will begin on June 14 against Pakistan. Meanwhile, the tournament gets underway on June 12 with the opening match between hosts England and Sri Lanka.
India is entering the World Cup on the back of a defeat against England in the three-match T20I series. Speaking about the loss against England, Harmanpreet had earlier said, “I think we are pretty much clear, and still we have two more games, practice games before the World Cup, where, you know, still we can think about the other combinations. Like Radha, she did really well in WPL, and she also feels ready. And apart from her, I think, Bharti Fulmali is also there. She is a middle-order batter. She also batted really well. I think we still have two very good players who are sitting out, and hopefully we will give them a fair chance in the practice games, where we can see how they go about.”
“And I think I still feel we are pretty much clear, like what is our XI going to be going forward. I think the idea behind coming here early to get used to these conditions, and I think we are pretty much, you know, getting used to these conditions, and hopefully we will get our, you know, whatever we need from these conditions,” she added.
Before the competition begins, India will play two warm-up matches against the West Indies and England. The fixture against the Windies will be played on Monday afternoon.
Speaking about Harmanpreet, she has played the most number of women internationals and she achieved the feat in the third and final T20I against England, surpassing New Zealand's Suzie Bates.
ABOUT THE AUTHORVishesh RoyVishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More



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