‘Eligible’: Trans athlete Anaya Bangar eyes comeback through Australia’s elite women’s cricket

Mumbai: Transgender cricketer Anaya Bangar is aiming to return to elite women’s cricket in Australia from March 2027 after being cleared to compete at the community level, though she is yet to secure a place in a team.

The 25-year-old, daughter of former India cricketer Sanjay Bangar, said she hopes to work her way towards the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) after resuming her cricketing journey in Australia.

"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," Anaya told reporters at a press conference in Mumbai on Wednesday night.

"I am preparing to return to women's cricket in Australia with the aim of pursuing elite cricket from March 2027. I am not claiming that I have made a team. I am saying that I have been given the opportunity to compete for one, and I intend to work for it," she said.

Anaya, who previously played age-group men's cricket for Mumbai, began her transition in 2022 and underwent gender-affirming surgery in March this year.

She expressed gratitude to Cricket Australia for providing a pathway to women's cricket, saying the governing body has a framework aimed at balancing "fairness, competitive integrity and inclusion in women's sport".

According to Anaya, Cricket Australia's review considered her medical and surgical history, hormone and testosterone levels, cricketing background, training footage and scientific and athletic performance research undertaken with Manchester Metropolitan University's Institute of Sport.

Anaya had previously appealed to the BCCI to allow her to participate in women's cricket but did not receive a response from the Indian board. The ICC banned transgender athletes from women's international cricket in 2023.

Anaya said her most recent blood test in July recorded total testosterone at 0.6 nanomoles and that she expects her levels to remain within the required criteria when she undergoes another test in March next year.

"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 added.

Anaya stressed that eligibility does not guarantee selection.

"Cricket Australia has given me a pathway, which does not mean that I have been given a place in a team. I still have to train, compete, perform and earn that opportunity. That's exactly how I want it," she said.

"I don't expect my history or my identity to earn me a place on a cricket team."

She acknowledged that her return would attract scrutiny and debate but said considerations of inclusion and competitive fairness need not be mutually exclusive.

"I know there will be scrutiny, questions and different opinions. I respect that women's sport has legitimate considerations about fairness and competitive integrity," she said.

"Good sporting policy should be capable of considering both."

Anaya said returning to cricket after her transition had been a difficult journey.

"For me personally, this is about more than a policy decision. I began playing cricket because I love the sport. I competed because I wanted to become better," she said.

"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."

"Today, I finally have a pathway to try."