Anaya Bangar: Wouldn't play women's cricket with unfair advantage, I have scientific backing

Trans Cricketer Anaya Bangar Cleared by Cricket Australia for Elite Cricket from March 2027

Family name drop alert — Anaya Bangar is the daughter of former India all-rounder Sanjay Bangar, and she's been given a dream comeback path. Cricket Australia has cleared her to play community cricket now, with elite cricket (WBBL and beyond) opening up from March 2027. For a bat who thought her pro career might be over, she called it "giving my life back."

Here's the situation: Bangar played agegroup cricket in Mumbai, but turning pro got tough after her transition — and the ICC's 2023 rule slammed the door wider, barring any M-F players who went through male puberty from the international women's game, surgery or HRT included.

But Bangar's making a strong case with science, not just sentiment. She laid out her full dossier: hormone therapy monitoring, testosterone levels checked, surgery papers reviewed, plus a 12-week research study with Manchester University tracking her athletic capabilities after a year on suppressants and HRT. Her numbers? All on par with cisgender female parameters. CA formed a panel, reviewed everything, and greenlit her path.

On Marizanne Kapp's public criticism ("this should not be allowed"), Bangar pushed back thoughtfully: people assume male-puberty strength sticks around permanently for every trans woman, which simply isn't true. Her message? Educate before you judge — it's not that black and white.

She's been a champion of case-by-case inclusion throughout, insisting she'd never step onto the field carrying an unfair advantage. Scientific evidence or not, this is a landmark moment for inclusion in the game.

Source: Wisden