Former BCCI President Anurag Thakur has replaced Kiren Rijija as the new Sports Minister of the Union of India

Anurag Thakur on Wednesday replaced Kiren Rijija as the country’s sports minister, with just over two weeks left before the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The 46-year-old former Cricket Board President was given charge of sports along with the Information and Broadcasting ministry after he took oath as a cabinet minister.

Thakur was the president of the BCCI between May 2016 and February 2017. Before that, he was the secretary of the Board and also headed the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA).

A Member of Parliament from HP’s Hamirpur constituency, Thakur was serving as the minister of state for finance and corporate affairs under Nirmala Sitharaman before Wednesday’s cabinet reshuffle.

His brother Arun Dhumal is currently the treasurer of the BCCI.