Anaya Bangar (Pic credit: Bangar’s Instagram post)
“I am now eligible to play in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) in Australia from March 2027 onwards. Because there was a point when I genuinely believed I had lost cricket forever,” she told Bombay Times, for me, this is incredibly emotional.
It represents the possibility of returning to the sport I deeply love,” she said. I still have to train, compete, perform and earn that opportunity,” she said. Bangar, who underwent gender-affirming surgery in March, received the confirmation under Cricket Australia’s Inclusion of Transgender and Gender Diverse Players in Elite Cricket Policy. The decision opens a pathway for her to pursue a place in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), although she stressed that eligibility does not guarantee a franchise contract. “Cricket has been such a fundamental part of my identity since childhood, and having to step away from the sport after my transition was one of the hardest things I experienced. So this isn’t simply about being included in a women’s league. Anaya was quick to clarify that Cricket Australia’s decision only provides her with the opportunity to pursue elite women’s cricket. She will still have to earn a place in a WBBL squad through her performances. “Cricket Australia has allowed me to pursue elite women’s cricket in Australia. The next challenge is to get myself into the best possible physical and competitive shape and put myself in a position to be considered by a WBBL franchise.
“The WBBL has an overseas-player contracting and draft system, where clubs select from the pool of available international players, like it happens in the IPL or the WPL,” Anaya said. She explained that the WBBL’s overseas-player contracting and draft system means she will have to convince a franchise of her value.