Yashasvi Jaiswal, the opening batter for Team India, has revealed his decision to leave Mumbai and join Goa for the 2025-26 domestic season. Jaiswal expressed his gratitude towards the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) but mentioned that he could not pass up the leadership opportunity with Goa. The 23-year-old requested a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the MCA to play for Goa during the upcoming domestic season. Jaiswal admitted that leaving Mumbai was a difficult decision as he has spent his entire life in the city. In an interview with The Indian Express, Jaiswal said, “It was a very tough decision for me. Whatever I am today is because of Mumbai. The city has made me who I am, and all my life, I will be indebted to the MCA.”“Goa has thrown me a new opportunity and it has offered me a leadership role. My first goal will be to do well for India, and whenever I’m not on national duty, I will be playing for Goa and try to make them go deep into the tournament. This was an (important) opportunity which came my way and I just took it,” Jaiswal added.
Under BCCI regulations, Indian players must participate in domestic cricket when not involved with the national team. Jaiswal’s last appearance for Mumbai was in a Ranji Trophy Group A match against Jammu and Kashmir from January 23 to 25. Although Jaiswal was named in Mumbai’s squad for the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Vidarbha, he missed the match due to an ankle injury.
Jaiswal’s cricketing journey began when he moved from Suriyawan, Uttar Pradesh, to Mumbai at the age of 11. He progressed through Mumbai’s age-group system and gained attention with a double century in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which helped him break into the Indian team. Jaiswal has played 36 first-class matches, scoring 3712 runs at an average of 60.85, including 13 centuries and 12 fifties.However, Jaiswal is expected to play limited matches for Goa due to his international commitments. It is also worth noting that Arjun Tendulkar made a similar move from Mumbai to Goa in recent years.
Currently, Jaiswal is a key member of India’s Test squad and recently impressed in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia. He is also playing for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2025 season.