Meet Rithika Sri, India’s First Trans Woman Cricket Umpire From Tamil Nadu

There is a particular kind of courage required to stand at the crease in a white coat, arm raised, the eyes of twenty-two players on you, knowing that every call you make will be scrutinised, and that getting there at all was in itself a battle that had nothing to do with cricket.

That is the world Rithika Sri inhabits every time she walks onto a ground in Tamil Nadu’s Salem, Namakkal, or Coimbatore. At 31, she has become India’s first trans woman cricket umpire, officiating league fixtures and association matches across the State. 

But before the white coat, before the “ma’am” from players who now address her with ease, there was a gate — and a security guard who would not let her through.

An unlikely beginning

Rithika’s love affair with cricket umpiring was born not in Tamil Nadu but in Punjab. In 2019, she was working at a BPO company in Mohali under her birth name, Muthuraj, when she found herself riveted to the IPL on television. 

The athleticism of the players was one thing; what arrested her attention was the stillness of the umpires — their authority, their calm. She went online, researched the pathway, and discovered a clear ladder: district panel, state panel, BCCI panel.

Then the pandemic came. Job opportunities dried up for outsiders in Punjab, and she returned to her hometown of Salem. 

But what looked like a setback became a turning point.

A mentor who said ‘Yes’

Back in Salem, Rithika tracked down Jayaraman, the chairman of the Salem District Association’s umpire committee, through an online search and he offered her a chance. 

For months, she trained, made errors, felt discouraged, and considered giving up. She also carried a secret — her gender identity — terrified that revealing it would cost her the only professional dream she had allowed herself.

It was Jayaraman’s wife who eventually broke the silence for her, after observing Rithika over time. The umpire committee chairman’s response, when he learned the truth, was decisive. If the government extended opportunities to the third gender, he said, why wouldn’t he? 

He encouraged her to build her qualifications first, transition when she felt ready, and return to the field. It was the kind of acceptance that changes a life.

In 2024, Rithika underwent gender-affirming surgery in Coimbatore and, through Jayaraman’s reference, was introduced to Ramesh, the umpire committee chairman of the Coimbatore District Cricket Association, who welcomed her immediately.

‘Cricketers call me ma’am’

Her debut as a trans woman umpire was not without turbulence. At one ground in Coimbatore, security personnel stopped her at the entrance. She had official credentials and told them she was there to officiate, but they turned her away regardless.

It was a moment that could have ended everything. Instead, it hardened her resolve. 

The Coimbatore Cricket Association intervened, ensured she had access, and made clear that she was to be treated with the same respect as any umpire on their panel.

The players caught up quickly. “Cricketers call me ‘ma’am’,” Rithika said. “I am happy and grateful.”

A door opened by policy

Rithika’s historic achievement was also enabled by a consequential institutional reform. 

The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association introduced an “Other” gender category in its State Panel Umpire examination application — an administrative change that may seem minor on paper but carried enormous weight in practice. Without that third box to tick, the formal pathway would have remained closed.

Rithika, who holds a diploma in mechanical engineering and was raised by a single mother alongside six siblings, now officiates matches organised by local clubs, corporates, and district associations. 

On the field, she is known for calm, firm decision-making — the very qualities that first drew her to the white coat.

Eyes on the horizon

Her ambitions are clear and unambiguous: state-level recognition, a place on the BCCI panel, and eventually, the IPL and international stages. 

The road is long, but Rithika Sri has already demonstrated that the longest distances can be covered one decision and one step at a time, whether it is a raised finger on the field, or the daily but important act of showing up as exactly who you are.

Sources:

‘Rithika Sri Becomes India’s First Transgender Umpire’: by Drishti IAS, Published on 2 May 2026

‘Transgender umpire Rithika Sree’s inspiring journey in cricket’: by Asianet Newsable, Published on 3 May 2026

‘Rithika Sree: Transgender cricket umpire’s journey in India’: by TNM Bureau for The News Mill, Published on 3 May 2026