This is a significant development for Anaya Bangar because it gives her a defined pathway back into elite women’s cricket in Australia, although it does not amount to a guaranteed WBBL contract.
What Cricket Australia has confirmed
Cricket Australia’s determination means Bangar will be eligible for elite women’s cricket from March 2027, provided she continues to satisfy the applicable eligibility requirements.
Under the policy described in the report, she must:
Maintain serum testosterone below 10 nmol/L continuously for at least 12 months.
Provide a blood test on arrival in Australia confirming that she remains below the threshold.
Continue meeting CA's other eligibility conditions.
CA said its determination took into account medical information supplied by Bangar, including the timing of her testosterone suppression treatment and surgery.
What this means for the WBBL
The most obvious opportunity is the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), because it is classified as elite cricket under Cricket Australia’s framework.
But there is an important distinction:
Eligibility ≠ selection.
Bangar would still need to:
Return to competitive cricket.
Rebuild her fitness and match rhythm.
Demonstrate form.
Attract the interest of a WBBL franchise.
Before that, she can participate in Premier Cricket, which CA classifies as community cricket and therefore doesn't fall under the same elite-category restriction.
Why the decision matters
The Australian pathway is particularly notable because Cricket Australia's policy differs from the ICC's international policy. The ICC currently bars transgender women who have undergone male puberty from participating in international women's cricket.
That means CA's determination potentially gives Bangar something she currently cannot pursue at the international level: a route into elite domestic women's cricket.
For Bangar herself, the significance is therefore bigger than simply being cleared for a competition. She had previously believed her cricket career was over; she now has a concrete opportunity to try to rebuild it.
The next interesting question is whether Bangar can translate this eligibility into an actual WBBL opportunity in 2027. A useful thing to watch will be how Australian Premier Cricket becomes her proving ground before the March 2027 eligibility date.
