New Delhi: Team India batter Yasahsvi Jaiswal sent shockwaves in the Indian cricket circuit with his decision to switch the domestic side from Mumbai to Goa on Wednesday.

Jaiswal wrote to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) on Tuesday, expressing his wish to leave Mumbai for Goa, and the governing body accepted his request swiftly. Jaiswal will now play for Goa from the 2025-26 season and could be appointed the skipper as well.

Although it is yet to be understood how much time he will be able to give to Goa given the packed international calendar. Jaiswal said he is “looking for new opportunities” as the reason behind his Goa move. “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,” Jaiswal told The Indian Express in an interview.

“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.

Friction between Jaiswal and Rahane?

However, if a report in India Today is to be believed, “people close to the situation” have said that the southpaw was not happy with the “constant scrutiny in the Mumbai outfit.” The report has made some interesting claims which could be the reason behind Jaiswal’s departure. According to it, the relationship between Jaiswal and Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane was “untenable”.

The report claimed that the “friction” between the two Indian cricketers started in 2022 when Rahane had Jaiswal removed from the field for sledging during a game. Jaiswal had hit a double century (265 off 323 balls) with the help of 30 fours and four sixes in the second innings of the game, but on the final day of the clash, Rahane sent him off the field for excessively sledging South Zone batter Ravi Teja.

The report also said that there was “constant questioning” about Jaiswal’s shot selection and the final blow was when Jaiswal was criticised by the Mumbai management after he endured a poor outing in the Mumbai vs Jammu and Kashmir match. Omkar Salvi, the Mumbai coach, and Rahane apparently questioned Jaiswal’s commitment, and the report even said that an angry Jaiswal kicked the kitbag of Rahane, as told by “people close to the situation.”

Earlier, a PTI report had also indicated the same thing, mentioning Jaiswal’s rift with a “senior player”. “It is also believed Jaiswal’s decision to move to Goa could be due to his displeasure with the Mumbai team management,” the news agency report said.