Anaya Bangar to play community cricket in Australia

Former Mumbai Under-19 cricketer Anaya Bangar has received a major boost in her bid to return to competitive women’s cricket after Cricket Australia cleared her to play community-level matches in the country.

The 25-year-old, who underwent gender-affirming surgery after beginning her transition in 2022, can immediately feature in Premier Cricket competitions across Australian states and territories. If she fulfils the eligibility requirements for elite cricket, Bangar could also have a pathway to compete in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL).

For Bangar, the development marks a significant moment after she feared that her cricketing career might have come to an end.

“I genuinely couldn’t believe that I’ll be able to play 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 doing so because they have to either choose the sport or choose transition,” Bangar told The Indian Express.

Cricket Australia informed Bangar that she can participate in Premier Cricket, which is classified as community cricket under its transgender and gender-diverse players policy. However, her eligibility for elite cricket from March 2027 will depend on her meeting the required criteria.

According to the communication sent to Bangar by Cricket Australia, she will have to undergo a blood test upon arriving in Australia to confirm that her serum testosterone concentration remains below 10 nmol/L. She will also have to continue meeting all other eligibility requirements under the board’s policy.

“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,” Cricket Australia Head of Integrity Jacqui Partridge wrote.

“Your eligibility for Elite Cricket from that date (March 2027) 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,” she added.

A senior BCCI official told The Indian Express that the Indian board does not currently have a specific policy regarding transgender women playing women’s cricket.

“When it comes to the 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 such a case has come up, the board is yet to take a stand, especially on allowing them in domestic cricket,” the official said.