Anaya Bangar, formerly known as Aryan Bangar, child of former Indian cricketer Sanjay Bangar, is making headlines after sharing her journey as a transgender woman. Before becoming Anaya through Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) in 2023, she was active in the field of cricket.

However, both the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) introduced rules barring any transgender person from participating in women’s cricket. In a now-deleted video, Anaya shared her photos before surgery with several prominent names in cricket and wrote, “Chasing my dream of playing cricket professionally has been a journey filled with sacrifices, resilience, and unwavering dedication. From early mornings on the field to facing the doubts and judgments of others, every step has demanded strength.”

Sanjay Bangar’s son undergoes harmone replacement surgery.

Aryan becomes Anaya!

Have a look at Ananya’s instagram post!#Cricket #CricketTwitter #SanjayBangar pic.twitter.com/esePJjf4Ua

— Amit T (@amittalwalkar) November 10, 2024

Changes through hormone replacement therapy (HRT)

In a recent video shared by Anaya on Instagram, she mentioned that during the 11 months of HRT, she has lost muscle and her body has changed significantly. However, she claimed that she felt happy, and the therapy has reduced her dysphoria. For those unaware, dysphoria can be described as a feeling of profound unhappiness, distress or dissatisfaction, where a person feels uncomfortable in their own body or as if they are in the wrong body.

On 27 October, she shared a report from 20th October in which the ECB announced the banning of transgender women from women’s professional cricket. In the post, she wrote, “It sucks being a trans athlete.”

Anaya’s disconnection from Cricket

In August 2024, when Anaya Bangar was nine months into HRT, she shared a post describing her journey and how she had to disconnect from cricket, which had been a significant part of her life.

In the post, Anaya wrote: “From a young age, cricket has always been a part of my life. Growing up, I watched my dad with awe as he represented and coached the country, and it wasn’t long before I started dreaming of following in his footsteps. The passion, the discipline, and the dedication he showed to the sport were deeply inspiring to me. Cricket became my love, my ambition, and my future. I’ve spent my entire life honing my skills, hoping that one day, I would get the chance to represent my country, just like him. I never thought I’d have to consider giving up the sport that has been my passion, my love, and my escape. But here I am, facing a painful reality. As a trans woman on hormone replacement therapy (HRT), my body has changed drastically. I’ve been losing the muscle mass, strength, muscle memory, and athletic abilities I once relied on. The game I’ve loved for so long is slipping away from me.”

Anaya Bangar further expressed that it hurt her more because there are no proper regulations for trans women in cricket. She added: “It feels like the system is forcing me out, not because I lack the drive or talent, but because the rules haven’t caught up with the reality of who I am. My testosterone levels are down to 0.5 nmol, the lowest it can be for an average cisgender woman. Despite this, I still don’t have a place to represent my country or play at a professional level as my authentic self.”

“To make matters worse, the system says that to compete in women’s sports, I should have transitioned before male puberty. But here’s the contradiction: society and the legal system make it illegal to transition as a minor. So, what am I supposed to do? The system is forcing me into an impossible situation, setting standards I couldn’t have met even if I’d wanted to. It’s heartbreaking that the body I’ve worked so hard to align with my true self is now seen as a barrier to continuing my cricket journey in the women’s category. We need policies that don’t make us choose between our identity and our passions. Trans women deserve the right to compete, play, and thrive”, she said.

ICC regulations on trans participation

While Anaya Bangar decided to undergo a gender reassignment surgery followed by HRT, the regulations regarding the participation of trans persons in cricket were clear. Notably, the ICC had previously allowed trans women to participate in women’s cricket. Twenty-nine-year-old Danielle McGahey was the first transgender player to feature in international cricket in early 2023. However, her participation drew significant criticism, leading to nine months of consultations among ICC members. Finally, on 21st November 2023, the ICC Board approved new gender eligibility regulations for the international game in consultation with stakeholders.

According to the media release, the new policy was based on the principles of protecting the integrity of the women’s game, safety, fairness, and inclusion. This means that any male-to-female participants who have undergone any form of male puberty will not be eligible to participate in international women’s cricket, regardless of any surgery or gender reassignment treatment they may have undertaken.

The review of the policy was led by the ICC Medical Advisory Committee, chaired by Dr Peter Harcourt. The media release specified that it related solely to gender eligibility for international women’s cricket. The board clarified that gender eligibility at the domestic level is a matter for each individual Member Board and may be influenced by local legislation.

At the time, ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said, “The changes to the gender eligibility regulations resulted from an extensive consultation process and are founded in science and aligned with the core principles developed during the review. Inclusivity is incredibly important to us as a sport, but our priority was to protect the integrity of the international women’s game and the safety of players.”

The policy will be reviewed again in 2026.

ECB’s domestic regulation changes

As the policy clearly mentioned that the decision to allow transgender women to play in women’s teams at the domestic level was a matter for each individual Member Board, Anaya Bangar, who currently plays in the United Kingdom, was still able to play for the ECB. However, in October 2024, the England and Wales Cricket Board decided not to allow transgender women to feature in the top two tiers of the new women’s domestic structure or the women’s Hundred.

In a press release, the ECB stated that it had consulted “relevant science and medical evidence” and considered “fairness, safety, and inclusion.” Trans women, however, will be able to participate in tier three of the new domestic system, which will be launched in 2025. Furthermore, they will be allowed to participate in recreational cricket as well.

Other sports regulations

World Athletics, the international governing organisation for athletics, banned transgender women (men who have transitioned to women) from competing in the female category at international events in march 2023. The decision came after several instances came to fore where male athletes competed in women’s tournaments claiming they identify as “women”.