Trans athlete Anaya Bangar, daughter of ex-cricketer Sanjay Bangar, has received a pathway from Cricket Australia into elite cricket. After a gender-affirming surgery, she will be eligible to play at the top level from March 2027 onwards.
Trans athlete Anaya Bangar, who received a pathway back into elite cricket from Cricket Australia (CA), spoke on challenges during her journey back into the game and named the star players she would like to face on the field. Anaya, daughter of former Indian cricketer and coach Sanjay Bangar, underwent a gender-affirming surgery earlier this year in March. She has been offered a pathway into competitive cricket as per CA’s ‘Inclusion of Transgender and Gender Diverse Players in Elite Cricket Policy’. Until March 2027, when she will face a test to determine her serum testosterone concentration, she will be eligible to play community cricket in “any state or territory of Australia”. If she meets the policy requirements, she will be eligible for elite-level cricket in the country from March 2027 onwards.
Anaya Bangar on her journey back to cricket
Speaking about her journey, Anaya said that she, at one point, during her transition, wondered if she would get to play cricket at all, and while she admits that there will be a lot of scrutiny, she has urged people to look at her case, the science and her merit. “I did not even have that hope that I would get a chance to play when I started transitioning. I had given up on cricket as well, but now that hope has awakened again thanks to Cricket Australia and the pathway that they have provided. And I am sure there’s gonna be a lot of scrutiny and a lot of people who might not be for me. But again, I am telling them just look at the science, look at my case, look at my merit,” she said.
Scientific backing and CA’s policy
She said that she already has scientific evidence on her case backed by the CA, and there have been guidelines set by CA that maintain the “inclusion, fairness, and dignity” of women’s sport and make sure that the trans athletes taking part in women’s sport have the right testosterone level. “I have already got scientific evidence backing my case from Manchester University (Manchester Metropolitan University’s Institute of Sport), and on top of that, the guidelines set by Cricket Australia maintain inclusion, fairness, and dignity of women’s sport while also having proper policies set, including the testosterone levels as well at the same time,” she said.
“People do not understand how much the body changes after you have suppressed your testosterone for over a period of time; it can lead to muscle loss, bone density loss, and athletic capabilities diminished as well over time. And I am not talking about this just from personal opinion; it’s been published by multiple studies out there as well. And I also am a huge advocate for a case-by-case basis standpoint as well at the same time,” she added.
An expert panel comprising Jacqui Partridge (CA, Head of Integrity), Emily Yates (CA, Integrity Partner, Legal), Peter Roach (CA, Head of Scheduling, Operations and Domestic Cricket), Dr Peter Harcourt (CA, Anti-Doping Medical Officer) and Dr Pip Inge (CA, Team Doctor) (relevant expert) considered her case and confirmed that subject to compliance with the policy, she will be eligible for elite cricket in the country from March 2027.
Eligibility conditions
“Under Cricket Australia’s policy, a player seeking to participate in the female category of elite cricket must establish that their serum testosterone concentration has been below 10 nmol/L continuously for a period of no less than 12 months,” said an email to Anaya from CA.
“Based on the medical information provided, this requirement will be satisfied in March 2027. Accordingly, your eligibility for Elite Cricket from that date is conditional upon you providing a blood test upon your arrival in Australia confirming that your serum testosterone concentration remains below 10 nmol/L and that you continue to satisfy the policy’s eligibility requirements. Until March 2027, you remain eligible to participate in Premier Cricket competitions in any State or Territory of Australia. As Premier Cricket is classified as Community Cricket rather than Elite Cricket under the Policy, your participation in those competitions is not affected by this determination,” added the email.
Future aspirations and addressing assumptions
Speaking on the competition level in women’s cricket, she said it is of the “highest quality”, and she is looking to train and perform and see how everything goes. “Because now I have a new body, I do not have those athletic capabilities I used to have. So, according to that, I am just going to try to give my best and see how it goes and hopefully get selected in the WBBL (Women’s Big Bash League) as well,” she said.
On assumptions about her having an advantage over other female athletes due to her being a trans athlete and having existed as a male cricketer, Anaya said that these things are “based on assumptions rather than actual science”.
“And whatever policies are already set, it’s done by researchers and people who are far more educated than all of us combined. And whoever wants to question me, they can basically just go ahead and read the science surrounding this and my own personal case in it as well, which I have published and have been vocal about since the day I have come out as a trans woman,” she added.
She also said that there have been no rules and regulations set by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about trans athletes playing or not playing, and it stays a “grey area”. “That is why, if I had wanted, I could have taken that approach and tried to be like, Okay, there is no such rule and everything; now I am here and playing. I do not want to take that road; I want to do everything with principle and dignity,” she added.
Dream matchups and future leagues
On the players she would like to play with, she said that she would like to bat with Indian opener Smriti Mandhana and face Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry while batting. “I would love to play alongside Smriti Mandhana, I’d love to open with her if I get the chance and possibly face Ellyse Perry on the bowling side as well. So I think for viewers also it will be very entertaining to watch,” she said.
She also said that she would like to represent Mumbai Indians (MI) in Women’s Premier League (WPL) if she gets her chance, saying that her “heart is always with Mumbai cricket” “I pride myself on being a Mumbai cricketer, playing on the grounds of Azad Maidan, Cross Maidan, Matunga Gymkhana and many more out there. So I have grown up playing on these grounds, I have a deep bond with Mumbai cricket and the logo that it also comes up with. So yeah,” she signed off. (ANI)
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