There’s been a lot of talk about the relationship between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ajinkya Rahane, who’s the captain of the Mumbai red-ball cricket team. Apparently, things haven’t been smooth between them for a while now, and that’s played a part in Jaiswal deciding to join Goa’s team. A report from India Today shed some light on this situation, mentioning a tense moment during the 2025 Ranji Trophy. Jaiswal reportedly got really upset and even kicked Rahane’s kit bag after he felt unfairly targeted by both Rahane and coach Omkar Salvi. This happened after Mumbai suffered a surprising loss to Jammu and Kashmir in the group stage, where Jaiswal’s scores were pretty low—just 4 runs in the first innings and 26 in the second, as Mumbai fell short and lost by five wickets.
After that match, Rahane and Salvi raised questions about Jaiswal’s dedication to the team. This really got under his skin. To make matters worse, Mumbai’s chief selector, Sanjay Patil, made comments about the match that made Jaiswal feel like he was being singled out. Patil expressed his disappointment, saying he thought that loss was one of the team’s worst and that they needed players who could truly step up and help the team win. He made it clear that being part of the team meant giving your all.
It turns out, this match was just a tipping point in what had been a crumbling relationship between Jaiswal and Rahane for quite some time. The troubles seemed to have started back in 2022 when Rahane kicked Jaiswal off the field during the Duleep Trophy final for giving the opposition’s Ravi Teja a hard time. There was also some drama during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy when the management questioned Jaiswal about his shot selection, which made him feel like he was under fire.
Jaiswal’s sudden move to Goa caught a lot of people off guard. In a chat with the Indian Express, he mentioned that he saw this as a ‘new opportunity’ and a chance to take on a leadership role with the team there. He expressed excitement about this change, saying, “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 trying to take them deep into the tournament. He also reflected on his decision, admitting it was tough and that he owes a lot to Mumbai for shaping him into the player he is today. He made it clear that this city and the cricket association have played crucial roles in his journey.
Right now, both Jaiswal and Rahane are busy playing in the IPL, with Jaiswal on the Rajasthan Royals and Rahane with Kolkata Knight Riders. It’ll be interesting to see how their careers unfold from here and how their paths will cross again in the future.
