Yashasvi Jaiswal has made a surprising decision that’s shaken up domestic cricket across the country. On Tuesday, he sent a letter to the Mumbai Cricket Association, saying he wants to leave Mumbai and play for Goa instead. The association quickly agreed to his request. Starting from the 2025-26 season, the 23-year-old left-handed batsman might even take on a captaincy role for Goa, although it’s unclear how much time he’ll have due to the busy international calendar.
Now, Jaiswal has shared some thoughts on his choice. It was a tough decision for me. I owe a lot to Mumbai. The city has shaped who I am, and I’ll always be grateful to the MCA, he told The Indian Express. Goa has given me a new chance and a leadership opportunity. My main goal is to do well for India, and whenever I’m not on national duty, I’ll be playing for Goa and trying to help them go far in the tournament. This was an important opportunity and I decided to go for it.
His last match for Mumbai was against Jammu and Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy from January 23-25, following the BCCI’s rules that require Indian players to participate in domestic cricket when not playing internationally. A senior MCA official reacted to his move, saying, Yes, it is surprising. He must have had his reasons for this decision. He asked to be released, and we accepted.
On the other hand, the secretary of the Goa Cricket Association, Shamba Desai, welcomed Jaiswal. He wants to play for us, and we’re excited to have him on board for next season, Desai said, confirming Jaiswal might be in line to captain the team when he’s available.
Jaiswal is the third cricketer from Mumbai to shift to Goa recently, following Arjun Tendulkar and Siddhesh Lad. Both had made the move before the 2022-23 season, while Lad returned to Mumbai after serving his cooling-off period. Jaiswal has quickly become a key player for India, making his Test debut against the West Indies in July 2023, and since then, he’s played 19 matches, notching up an impressive average of over 52, including four centuries and ten fifties.