Goa Cricket Association (GCA) is reported to make a bold move to revamp the structure of the domestic cricket landscape in India.
As per the latest reports, the GCA is in advanced talks with prominent Indian cricketers to invite them into the squad for the domestic season 2025-26.
Earlier, players like Shardul Thakur and Yashasvi Jaiswal planned to move to Goa and represent the state, but later altered their plans and decided to represent Mumbai.
Let’s take a look at those two Indian players who have created a sensational move by joining Goa for the next domestic season.
Also, let’s find out the potential joining of any players from Team India in the Goa squad.
Baseless Rumors of Team India’s Players Moving to Goa
Earlier in April 2025, Yashasvi Jaiswal was almost set to move to Goa, but changed his plans. At that time, it was rumored that the other two players from Team India namely Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma.
HCA Denies Tilak Varma’s Move to Goa
However, the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) secretary R. Devraj clarified that the rumors surrounding Tilak’s move to Goa were false:
“See! After discussing with Tilak Varma, I came to know that the rumors about his switch to Goa are completely untrue. He is committed to playing for his home team, Hyderabad, and enjoys taking the responsibility and pride.
So, I urge everyone to stop speculating on misleading information and support players in our team to play for Hyderabad state,” Devraj said.
SKY Refuted the Goa Move Rumors with a Strong Social Media Post
Likewise, to Tilak Varma, another cricketer who was speculated to make a move to Goa was none other than Team India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav. However, the 35-year-old posted a strong message via his X post to prove those rumors to be completely false:
“Arey! Yeh kyaa koi script hain yaa journalist ka report? Agar Mein Hasnaa hain toh mein comedy movies watch karna bandh kar dunga and aise articles read karunga! Ek Dum Bhakwaas news hain yen!
(In English, it means is this any script or report from any journalist? If I need to laugh, then I should stop watching comedy movies and rather read such articles! Totally, this is complete nonsense)” SKY posted.
Who Were the Two Indian Players to Move to Goa for the Domestic Season 2025-26?
In reality, Arjun Tendulkar and Vasuki Koushik were the two uncapped Indian players who were expected to join Goa for the 2025-26 season and have already signed the deal:
ARJUN TENDULKAR
The world’s legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar’s son, Arjun Tendulkar, has now joined the Goa squad for the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season.
Also, the Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise benched him throughout IPL 2025. The 26-year-old is yet to make his international debut, but has been keen for a long time to play his first game at the senior level.
Ahead of the 2022-23 season, Arjun made his move from Mumbai and represented Goa in all three formats.
Since 2024, the pace bowler hasn’t appeared in any of the domestic tournaments. However, it is good news for the Mumbai-born cricketer to revive his domestic cricket career playing for Goa on a stunning note.
Arjun Tendulkar, as a pace bowling all-rounder, has proven to be a lethal left-arm spinner and a handy lower-order batter across three different formats of domestic cricket:
Here is how he performed in First Class, List A, and T20s (in terms of batting and bowling):
| Stats | First Class | List A | T20 |
| Runs Scored | 533 Runs in 24 Innings | 102 Runs in 10 Innings | 119 Runs in 11 Innings |
| Average | 22.20 | 17.00 | 13.22 |
| Batting Strike Rate | 54.66 | 87.17 | 123.95 |
| 100s | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 50s | – | – | – |
| Best Score | 120 | 26 | 47 |
| Overall Wickets Taken | 39 Wickets in 30 Innings | 25 Wickets in 18 Innings | 27 Wickets in 24 Innings |
| Best Bowling Figures | 5/25 | 4/30 | 4/10 |
| Average | 34.35 | 31.32 | 25.07 |
| Strike Rate | 61.50 | 5.36 | 8.75 |
VASUKI KOUSHIK
The Karnataka pacer Vasuki Koushik has been confirmed to move to Goa for the upcoming season. Also, the Karnataka Cricket Association (KCA) granted him a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for his transfer.
Also, the GCA secretary, Shambha Desai, confirmed Koushik’s entry into Goa’s squad:
“Yeah! We have signed Koushik for the next season, and till now, this is the only transfer. We are searching for other options, but the names are yet to be finalized,” the GCA secretary said.
Here is how Vasuki Koushik claimed 225 wickets in domestic cricket (First Class + List A + T20 Cricket) as a right-arm medium pace bowler:
- First Class: 95 Wickets in 46 Innings
- List A: 82 wickets in 44 Innings
- T20 Cricket: 48 Wickets in 38 Innings
Also Read: Shubman Gill Finds Support From Former Cricketers Despite Flop ODI Series vs Australia
Conclusion
As the Ranji Trophy Elite 2025-26 is taking place in full swing, it is understood that none of the players from the Indian cricket team are joining Goa for the next domestic season.
Even though Yashasvi Jaiswal is set to play for Mumbai in the next phase of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26, rumors are circulating about his possible shift to Goa in the upcoming days.
However, the officials from several state cricket associations have warned to be aware of such false information and rely only on the formal updates provided by them.
