‘It’s Been Lonely, It’s Been Brutal’: Anaya Bangar Opens Up on Trans Journey as Cricket Australia Clears Path Back to Cricket

For Anaya Bangar, Cricket Australia’s decision to provide a pathway towards women’s competitive cricket represents the possibility of returning to the sport she once believed she had lost forever.

New Delhi: Anaya Bangar says her journey since beginning her transition in 2022 has been emotionally demanding, deeply personal and, at times, isolating.

Now, the 25-year-old transgender athlete sees a possible path back to competitive cricket after Cricket Australia cleared her for a pathway towards women’s cricket, subject to the governing body’s eligibility requirements.

For Anaya, the development represents much more than the prospect of returning to the cricket field. It marks a significant moment after years of personal transition, uncertainty and the painful possibility that she might never again play the sport she loves.

“It’s been lonely, it’s been brutal, but it’s also been worth it,” Anaya told PTI.

The former cricketer, whose father is former India player and coach Sanjay Bangar, began her transition in 2022. Earlier this year, her journey reached another major milestone when she underwent gender-affirming surgery in March.

In June, after learning about Cricket Australia’s policy for transgender and gender-diverse players, Anaya contacted the organisation’s Head of Integrity, Jacqui Partridge. The process ultimately led to Cricket Australia providing her with a pathway towards competitive women’s cricket under the relevant eligibility framework.

For Anaya, the decision has reopened a door she once believed had closed permanently.

‘A Path to Play Cricket as Who I Am’

Anaya said hearing that Cricket Australia had provided her with a pathway back into the sport was a hugely emotional moment.

“Right now, just hearing the news about Cricket Australia clearing me, and basically providing me a path to play women’s cricket, to play cricket as who I am is huge for me,” she said.

Her words reflect the personal significance of the development.

For years, Anaya said she struggled with the possibility that beginning her transition might mean leaving cricket behind. The sport had been a major part of her life, but the uncertainty surrounding opportunities for transgender athletes made her future in competitive cricket unclear.

She eventually reached a point where she no longer expected to play again.

“I never thought that I’ll be able to get to play cricket ever since the day I started transitioning,” she said.

Yet she continued to explore possible opportunities, putting herself forward and waiting to see whether a pathway could emerge.

‘It Can Get Very Isolating’

Anaya described the experience of transitioning as particularly difficult because of the wider political and social debates surrounding transgender athletes.

“When you’re transitioning, and when you’re a trans-athlete, during this political climate in this world, it can get very isolating,” she said.

“You feel very lonely, you feel like there’s no one who really understands out there.”

The experiences of transgender athletes have become the subject of significant debate across international sport. Different sporting organisations have introduced their own policies, often focusing on questions of eligibility, participation and competitive categories.

For athletes directly affected by those decisions, however, the issue is also deeply personal.

Anaya said she often felt that people around her were trying to provide solutions without fully understanding her individual situation.

“Everyone out there is trying to give you solutions, when you know that your own case is the right one. You know what is happening with you is injustice,” she said.

During this period, she said, solitude became one of the ways she managed the emotional pressure.

“Just the fact of being with myself, solitude has helped me a lot throughout all this,” she added.

A Difficult Journey After Starting Her Transition

Anaya began her transition in 2022 and said the years that followed brought major changes to her life.

The process involved not only physical and medical changes but also emotional challenges and shifts in family dynamics.

She said that transitioning was ultimately about being happy and becoming comfortable in her own skin.

“To be honest, transitioning was always about being happy and comfortable in my own skin,” she said.

But pursuing that goal came with difficult decisions.

Anaya said she had to take steps that she believed could mean giving up the sport she loved. The prospect of walking away from competitive cricket was one of the most difficult aspects of her journey.

“I had to take the necessary steps during that time in my life to basically give up the sport that I loved,” she said.

Family Support During a Personal Journey

Anaya said that, emotionally, much of the journey felt like something she had to navigate by herself.

However, she also expressed gratitude for the support she received from her family in important areas of her life.

“To be honest, emotionally, it’s just been all by myself, but I’m grateful for the support for the necessities that I had from my family,” she said.

Her father, Sanjay Bangar, is a former India cricketer and a prominent coach. However, Anaya’s journey has unfolded in the public eye under circumstances that are highly personal and emotionally complex.

She said the process brought changes to family dynamics, alongside the challenges of transition and uncertainty about her sporting future.

Despite those difficulties, Anaya now looks back on the experience as one that has changed her perspective and made her stronger.

Gender-Affirming Surgery Marked Another Milestone

In March, Anaya underwent gender-affirming surgery, marking another significant step in her transition.

The months that followed would also bring an unexpected development in her sporting journey.

In June, she learned about Cricket Australia’s policy for transgender and gender-diverse players. She subsequently approached Jacqui Partridge, Cricket Australia’s Head of Integrity.

The interaction eventually resulted in Cricket Australia clearing Anaya for a pathway towards women’s competitive cricket, subject to the policy’s eligibility requirements.

The distinction is important: the reported development provides a pathway under Cricket Australia’s policy framework and does not remove the need to meet applicable eligibility conditions.

For Anaya, however, even the possibility of returning to competitive cricket represents a major shift from where she believed her journey might lead when she began transitioning.

Cricket Australia Opens a Possible New Chapter

Anaya’s story now enters a new phase.

The opportunity created by Cricket Australia’s policy means she can pursue a pathway towards women’s competitive cricket under the organisation’s established requirements.

Her eligibility and participation remain subject to the applicable rules and processes.

But after believing she might never play the sport again, Anaya says the news has changed what she believes is possible.

“I just tried to put myself out there and see what happens, and whatever works, works,” she said.

“And throughout all this, I think the universe has backed me a lot, and here we are.”

The moment represents a potential return to the game on her own terms and as the person she says she has worked hard to become.

‘The Experience Made Me Stronger and Wiser’

Looking back at the challenges of the past several years, Anaya says the experience has ultimately made her stronger.

The journey involved stepping away from cricket, undergoing major personal changes and adjusting to changes in her family life.

Yet she now views those experiences as part of a larger process of growth.

“And I couldn’t be more grateful for this journey,” she said.

“It’s been a rollercoaster, it’s been brutal, it’s been filled with emotions, but I’m glad I’m on the stepping stone now.”

Her description captures the contrast at the centre of her story.

The journey has included loneliness and uncertainty, but it has also brought her to a point where a return to competitive cricket is once again possible.

Why Anaya Bangar’s Story Matters in Modern Sport

Anaya’s journey reflects broader conversations taking place across international sports about transgender and gender-diverse athletes.

Sports governing bodies around the world continue to develop policies that address participation and eligibility. These policies vary between sports and jurisdictions, and eligibility rules can change as organisations review their frameworks.

For athletes, these discussions can have a direct effect on professional ambitions, careers and identities.

Anaya’s case also highlights the human experience behind policy debates.

Her story is not simply about regulations or sporting categories. It is about an athlete who says she faced the possibility of losing the game she loved while making deeply personal decisions about her identity and future.

The pathway provided by Cricket Australia has therefore taken on an importance that extends beyond a potential return to competition.

Looking Ahead to a Possible Return to Cricket

For now, Anaya’s focus is on the opportunity ahead.

Cricket Australia’s decision has given her something she says she did not believe was possible when she began her transition: a route back towards competitive cricket.

Her participation remains subject to the relevant eligibility requirements, but the possibility itself has become a significant moment in her personal and sporting journey.

From the loneliness she describes at the beginning of her transition to the prospect of once again playing cricket, Anaya’s story has travelled through a period of profound change.

“It’s been lonely, it’s been brutal, but it’s also been worth it,” she said.

Those words now define a journey that has moved from uncertainty about whether she could ever return to cricket to the possibility of playing the game again as herself.