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Anaya Bangar has received a breakthrough in her cricket journey after Cricket Australia (CA) cleared her to play women’s community cricket in Australia.
The 25-year-old is now allowed to take part in female community-level cricket as she works towards making her competitive women’s cricket debut in 2027. However, playing professional or elite cricket will require her to meet additional testosterone-related eligibility rules. Why Harmanpreet Kaur sees India-Pakistan as a different pressure game.
Anaya Bangar gets Cricket Australia clearance to make women's debut
Anaya Bangar has been working to return to the game of cricket after her gender-affirming surgery. She had earlier shared her plans to get back on the field and rebuild her cricket career.
The trans athlete is currently recovering from surgery and is also looking for a club in Australia where she can restart playing competitive cricket after getting clearance from Cricket Australia to play women’s community cricket in Australia.
Anaya Bangar was quoted as saying by The Indian Express: “It is a great day for me especially after knowing the fact that I can play cricket. There was a stage where I thought I would never play cricket again, but thanks to Cricket Australia, it has given me another chance.”
She added, “I genuinely couldn’t believe that I'd be able to play ever again. Because of Cricket Australia and its progressive and inclusive policies, which focus on fairness and inclusion in women’s sport for trans women, this is a huge milestone, not just for me, but for other athletes like me who want to try but aren’t because they have to either choose the sport or choose transition.”
Anaya Bangar’s WBBL dream faces major Testosterone eligibility hurdle
Anaya Bangar is the daughter of former Indian all-rounder and former Indian team batting coach Sanjay Bangar. She played age-group cricket in Mumbai alongside the Indian players Sarfaraz Khan and his brother Musheer Khan. Now, she will play women’s cricket in Australia.
Her next major target is elite women’s cricket, including competitions such as the Women’s Big Bash League. However, she will have to satisfy the required testosterone eligibility conditions to be eligible to play in the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia. Amid this, Suryakumar Yadav recalls funny exchanges with MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma over photoshoot.
What do Cricket Australia rules say?
Cricket Australia’s rules say Anaya Bangar can play elite women’s cricket only if her testosterone level stays below 10 nmol/L for at least 12 months.
- Until March 2027, she can play premier/community cricket in Australia.
- From March 2027, she will need to provide a blood test showing her testosterone is still below 10 nmol/L.
- If she meets the rules, she can become eligible for Elite Cricket.
BCCI has no clear policy on Trans Women in domestic cricket
Anaya had also approached the BCCI in 2025 for clarity on its rules for trans women playing women’s cricket. She has not received a response so far. But a senior BCCI official has said the board currently does not have a specific policy covering trans women in domestic women’s cricket.
The BCCI official said: “When it comes to ICC, they have said no to it. BCCI is yet to decide what can be done in such cases. As this is the first time the board has come up with such a case of a trans woman, the board is yet to formally take a stand on it. Especially on allowing them in domestic cricket.”
On the other hand, the ICC does not allow trans women who have gone through male puberty to play in international women’s cricket under its current policy.
