Rising as one of India's brightest cricketing prospects, Yashasvi Jaiswal is all set to make a dramatic change in his domestic career. Having played for Mumbai since his Under-19 days, Jaiswal has apparently made up his mind to leave the team and switch to Goa from the next season onwards.
Pursuing this change, he has officially asked for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) through email. Significantly, he is following in the footsteps of other Mumbai cricketers such as Arjun Tendulkar and Siddhesh Lad, who have also shifted to Goa in recent times.
Jaiswal was recently part of Mumbai’s squad for the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy, making his return after a disappointing stint in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. With the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) mandating participation in domestic red-ball cricket for top Indian players, stalwarts like Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli had to return to their respective state teams.
But from next year, Jaiswal will be playing in Goa colours in domestic cricket.
"He has applied for an NOC with us and given personal reasons for joining Goa," an official from the Maharashtra Cricket Association told The Indian Express.
Goa Cricket Association's secretary Shamba Desai confirmed the move, welcoming Jaiswal on board. "He wants to play for us, and we welcome him. He will be playing for Goa from the next season," he said to PTI.
There is also speculation that Jaiswal might be a prime candidate for the captaincy whenever he is not representing the country.
"Yes, that can happen," Desai replied when asked if Jaiswal would lead the side. "As he is an Indian international, he can be our captain, and we will try to make that happen. But talks about his availability for domestic tournaments are still on," he added.
Struggles in IPL 2025
Jaiswal's move to Goa is coming at a time when he is having a poor start to the IPL 2025 campaign with Rajasthan Royals. The young opener has scored just 34 runs in three games, while his team is still struggling with inconsistent performances.
With a disappointing average of 11.33 and a strike rate of 106.25, his best score thus far has only been 29. In the three matches played so far, his scores have been 1, 29, and 4.
One area of concern in Jaiswal's batting has been his susceptibility during the powerplay, especially in the first three overs. Since IPL 2024, he has got out eight times in the first three overs in 18 innings—increasing his early dismissal rate to 44 percent. This is a steep rise from his 29 percent dismissal rate in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, during which he had a great 2023 season with 625 runs.
Though he scored 435 runs in IPL 2024 at an average of 31.07 and a strike rate of close to 156, his overall contribution was curtailed, scoring only one hundred and a single fifty in the tournament.
Another worrying trend is his decreasing attacking intent. His attacking shot percentage declined to 70 percent in the last two seasons from his more aggressive play in the earlier seasons.
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