Sourav Ganguly, the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has said the remainder of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) season "can't happen in India" and will have to take place outside of the country, though it is unclear whether a window can be found.
The popular, and lucrative, Twenty20 tournament was suspended indefinitely last week after several personnel tested positive for Covid-19. India reported 366,161 new coronavirus infections on Monday, taking the caseload to 22.66 million.
Ganguly told Sportstar magazine that Covid-19 restrictions meant it was impossible to stage the remaining games in India.
"There are lots of organisational hazards like 14-day quarantine. It can't happen in India," he said. "This quarantine is tough to handle. Too early to say how we can find a slot to complete the IPL."
Ganguly's comments come after BCCI treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal struck a more optimistic tone by claiming the board are remaining "hopeful" that both the IPL and T20 World Cup could still be staged in India.
Warwickshire, Surrey and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) are keen to host the remaining matches in September, but a BCCI official told Reuters on Friday they were yet to discuss the offer.
The entire 2020 tournament was played in the UAE because of the pandemic, and the Emirates has also been mentioned as a possible destination for the T20 World Cup should the October tournament need to be moved away from India.
Ganguly also said India would play three One-Day Internationals and five Twenty20 Internationals in Sri Lanka in July, though the BCCI is likely to field a second-string squad.
Virat Kohli's side are due to leave for England in early June for the World Test Championship final in Southampton against New Zealand. They will then play a five-Test series against England.
