Anaya Bangar has taken a major step towards returning to competitive cricket after receiving clearance from Cricket Australia to pursue women’s cricket in Australia. The daughter of former India cricketer and coach Sanjay Bangar can play community and Premier Cricket, while her pathway to elite women’s cricket opens from March 2027, subject to Cricket Australia’s eligibility requirements.

The development has also brought the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) into focus. However, Anaya has not been handed a guaranteed WBBL contract or team place. Her clearance gives her the opportunity to pursue selection, and she will still have to prove herself on the cricket field. Anaya described it as a “pathway, not a place in the team.”

 What Did Cricket Australia Clear for Anaya Bangar?

Cricket Australia assessed Anaya’s case under its policy for transgender and gender-diverse players in elite cricket. Her current clearance allows her to pursue the pathway towards elite women’s cricket from March 2027, provided she continues to meet the applicable requirements, including the required eligibility assessment.

Australian Cricket also has separate guidelines for transgender and gender-diverse players participating in community cricket, with the sport stating its commitment to creating safe, fair and inclusive competitions.

This means Australia has opened a route for Anaya to return to competitive cricket, while a place in the WBBL will still depend on selection and performance.

 Who Is Anaya Bangar?

Anaya Bangar is the daughter of former India cricketer and coach Sanjay Bangar. Before her transition, she was known as Aryan Bangar and was already deeply involved in competitive cricket.

She played age-group cricket in Mumbai and grew up in a strong cricketing environment. Her cricket journey included playing alongside young players such as Sarfaraz Khan and Musheer Khan, who later became prominent names in Indian cricket.

For Anaya, cricket was not simply a connection through her father. It was a sport she had pursued seriously from a young age.

 From Aryan Bangar to Anaya Bangar

Anaya has spoken openly about the identity struggle she experienced while growing up. In a detailed interview with The Indian Express, she described feeling a disconnect between her external identity and how she felt internally.

Her journey of understanding herself became particularly significant around 2021, and she began her transition in 2022. The process also brought major challenges to her cricket career, eventually forcing her to step away from the competitive game.

 Sanjay Bangar and Anaya’s Family Journey

Anaya’s transition was also a journey for her family. She has spoken about the time it took for those close to her to understand her identity and the changes in her life.

Her father, Sanjay Bangar, eventually became an important source of support during her journey. Anaya has also spoken publicly about his support around her gender-affirming surgery in March 2026.

Her story therefore goes beyond cricket. It is also about family, identity and finding a way back to the sport she has loved since childhood.

 England, Cricket and a Difficult Phase

Anaya also spent time in England while continuing her cricket journey and navigating her transition. However, changes to the England and Wales Cricket Board’s policy on transgender participation in women’s cricket made her ambitions there more difficult.

Australia eventually became another possible route back into women’s cricket, offering her a pathway under its own eligibility framework.

 Anaya Bangar on Rise & Fall

Anaya became more widely known outside cricket after appearing on the reality show Rise & Fall, hosted by Ashneer Grover and streamed on Amazon MX Player.

The show premiered on September 6, 2025, and featured 16 celebrity contestants competing in a power-based format. Anaya was among the contestants.

During the show, she spoke about her transition, cricket journey and some of the difficult experiences she faced after coming out as transgender. She also made allegations about receiving inappropriate content from someone in the cricketing world. Those claims should be presented as allegations rather than independently established facts.



 What Is Next for Anaya Bangar?

Cricket Australia’s decision has opened a new chapter in Anaya Bangar’s cricket career. March 2027 will be an important checkpoint for her elite-cricket pathway, when she will need to continue meeting the applicable eligibility requirements.

The WBBL is now a realistic goal, but selection is not guaranteed. Anaya will still need to compete, perform and earn her place.

For someone who grew up playing cricket as Aryan Bangar, stepped away from the sport during her transition and is now working towards returning as Anaya, Australia has given her something significant — a pathway back to the game she never wanted to leave.

Sources