CHENNAI: Trans athlete Anaya Bangar is set to return to the pitch again after Cricket Australia, the governing body for the sport in the country, cleared her to play women’s community and Premier Cricket across all States and territories with immediate effect.
Under Cricket Australia’s official Inclusion of Transgender and Gender Diverse Players with Elite Cricket Policy, Bangar is now eligible to target elite franchise selection like the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) from March 2027.
"Today is an important day for me because after several years away from competitive cricket, I can finally speak about a pathway back to the sport that has been such a significant part of my life," the 25-year-old told reporters in a press conference in Mumbai on Wednesday (August 26). "I am saying that I have been allowed to compete for one and I intend to work for it," she added.
Anaya had previously appealed to the BCCI to allow her to participate in women's cricket events but received no response from the cricketing body. The ICC banned transgender athletes from women's competition in 2023.
According to Anaya, after years of confusion about her identity, she began the process of transitioning from a man to a woman in 2022. She spoke to counsellors, and later moved to the United Kingdom, where she played club cricket and explored hormone replacement therapy. Anaya underwent gender-affirming surgery in Thailand in March 2026. She said her recent examination suggests she could maintain similar testosterone levels when she undergoes another test in March next year, which would eventually pave the way for her joining elite women's cricket.
"I have also undergone gender affirming surgery...which means my previous primary source of testosterone is no longer present. My most recent blood test in July recorded total testosterone at 0.6 nanomoles," she said. "If that March 2027 test confirms that I continue to meet the required testosterone criteria, I will be eligible to pursue selection for elite women's cricket, including the Women's Big Bash League pathway," she explained.
Anaya said inclusion and fairness do not have to be treated as mutually exclusive principles. "Good sporting policy should be capable of considering both," she said.
Anaya said one of the most difficult possibilities she had to live with during her transition was the possibility of never being able to play cricket again. "When I transitioned, one of the most difficult possibilities I had to confront was that cricket might no longer have a place for me. I spent years trying to find a way back," she said. But she is glad that there is an opportunity for her now, which she would completely make use of. "Today, I finally have a pathway to try," she said.
Anaya Bangar is the daughter of former Indian men’s cricket team national coach Sanjay Bangar. She formerly trained and played as a top-order batter and all-rounder in Mumbai’s youth divisions.