A new story is about to be written. The upcoming Women's Premier League (WPL 2026) can be more special if Anaya Bangar, child of former Indian cricketer Sanjay Bangar, who recently underwent hormone replacement therapy to transition genders, puts all her effort into making a comeback in professional cricket.

Ahead of the WPL 2026 auction, a fresh video of Anaya drew attention from cricket fans on Instagram. Anaya, from the official Instagram profile, shared a new video before the event. Through the video, viewers can see how she is preparing his batting skills. Bangar not only played some aggressive shots, but she also paid most of her focus to maintaining the basics of her batting.

A few weeks ago, it was heavily speculated that the left-handed batter could join the women's squad of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB-W) ahead of WPL 2026, as she was seen on a practice field with a Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) cricket kit bag. After the gender transition, Ananya's professional cricket career was put on hold. Her passion for cricket is over any doubts. But a rule of the International Cricket Council (ICC) makes her professional cricket career uncertain.  ICC had banned transgender players from international women's cricket.

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Watch - Anaya Bangar's latest batting video ahead of the WPL 2026 auction

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Anaya Bangar (@anayabangar)

Earlier this year, during an interview, Anaya even said, "There is no place for her in cricket in the future." But now, things have changed a lot. Slowly but surely, Anaya is getting back her confidence and again starting to believe that there may still be some chances left to live the dream with bat and pad on the field again. Later, from a different program,

Anaya's motivated mindset was reflected when she said that not as Aryan but as Anaya this time, she is set to get back on the track. Like many other women's cricketers, WPL perhaps can bring new hopes for this talented cricketer as well.  

Anaya Bangar, daughter of former India cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Bangar, recently shared her experiences as a transgender woman and the hurdles she encountered throughout her transition journey. In a candid interview, the 24-year-old influencer spoke about undergoing Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and shared some deeply personal and disturbing experiences involving senior cricketers.Anaya, formerly known as Aryan Bangar, has become a prominent voice on social media, where she shares her life experiences and transformation journey.

In the interview, she not only spoke about her identity and the struggles of being a transgender woman but also highlighted how toxic masculinity affects the lives of trans women. One of the most shocking revelations was an incident of harassment by a senior cricketer, which added to the emotional weight of her story. Her revelations have sparked widespread conversations and drawn attention from both the cricketing world and social media users. Beyond being known as Sanjay Bangar’s daughter, Anaya has emerged as a brave individual advocating for acceptance, awareness, and respect for the transgender community, particularly in spaces where such conversations are often silenced.

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“Trans women are fantasized a lot. We are looked down upon very much. We are also human beings, we just want to be given equal respect. When I told my truth to an old player, he immediately said, let's go in your car, I want to sleep with you. I was very surprised and very scared that this person said such things to me,” Anaya revealed this on Saurabh Dwivedi’s on Lallantop.

Cricket has been a part of my life from a young age: Anaya Bangar

In the interview, Anaya Bangar even shared that cricket had been a significant part of her life from a young age. She said that growing up, she watched her father represent and coach the country, which inspired her to dream of following in his footsteps. She mentioned that her father's dedication, discipline, and passion for the game had greatly influenced her. Anaya expressed that cricket was her love, ambition, and envisioned future. She added that she had spent her entire life honing her skills with the hope of one day getting the opportunity to represent the country, just like her father.

"Cricket has been a part of my life from a young age. Growing up, I saw my father representing and coaching the country and soon I started dreaming of following in his footsteps. My father's dedication, discipline and love for cricket was an inspiration to me. Cricket was my love, my ambition and my future. I spent my whole life honing my skills, hoping that one day I would get a chance to represent the country like my father," Anaya said.