Perhaps we’d like to romanticise sport as the great leveller — a realm where merit reigns supreme and everyone, regardless of background or identity, gets an equal shot. But in practice, that illusion often shatters. The reality is, those who control sport seldom operate on the ideals we believe it represents. And sadly, even among those who play the game, biases still run deep — something Anaya Bangar knows all too well.
Anaya, formerly Aryan, is the daughter of former Indian cricketer and ex-batting coach Sanjay Bangar. A promising cricketer herself, Anaya once walked the same path as countless aspiring athletes, only to find that her journey veered into hostile territory the moment she chose to embrace her identity.
A few months ago, Anaya opened up about her transition and its impact on her cricketing career — a story that was as courageous as it was heartbreaking. In a candid and emotional conversation with Lallantop, Anaya laid bare the discrimination, harassment, and alienation she has faced since coming out as a trans woman.
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The most jarring revelation wasn’t just the lack of support — it was the predatory behaviour she endured from within the cricketing fraternity itself. While she acknowledged that some cricketers supported her, the experience was marred by others who viewed her through a distorted lens of fetish and ridicule.
“There have been a few cricketers who randomly sent me nude pictures,” Anaya Bangar shared. One individual, in particular, went further — verbally abusing her in public settings, only to later seek out her attention in private. “The person used to give gaalis in front of everybody. The same person then used to come and sit beside me and ask for my photos,” she recalled.
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Perhaps the most disturbing account came when she revealed how a veteran cricketer propositioned her for sex after she confided in him about her journey. “‘Let’s go in the car, I want to sleep with you,’ he told me,” Anaya recounted, a chilling example of the objectification and harassment that trans women often face in spaces they should feel safest in.
Yet, Anaya is more than just her trauma — she’s a cricketer with a genuine pedigree. She represented Islam Gymkhana in Mumbai’s local leagues and also played for Hinckley Cricket Club in Leicestershire. But despite her talent, the path ahead remains blocked by institutional policies.
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The ICC, in November 2023, ruled that anyone who has experienced male puberty cannot compete in women’s international cricket, irrespective of surgical or hormonal transition. The ECB followed suit, announcing that from 2025, trans women will no longer be eligible to play elite-level women’s domestic cricket.
These decisions have left Anaya — and many others — stranded. She voiced her anguish on Instagram, expressing disappointment at how sporting bodies have shut doors on athletes like her. The disconnect between legal transitioning rights and sporting regulations creates a chasm too wide for many to bridge.
Anaya’s story is not just about cricket; it’s about the human cost of exclusion. The game might not discriminate, but the systems that govern it often do.
