Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) coach Trevor Bayliss feels the Indian Premier League (IPL) does not match up to the standards of international cricket despite having some of the biggest names playing in the Twenty20 tournament.
Asked why pacers like Umesh Yadav and Morne Morkel are able to succeed in IPL in spite of being ordinary in international games, Bayliss said, "Its not international cricket. There are some international players playing but it is not quite the standard of international cricket.
"But then again, the noise, the hype, players playing in front of such crowds, you want to do well, that urges the boys on, not just from our team but you see fantastic performances from other players too."
The Australian said there is no update on mystery spinner Sunil Narine, who had to undergo another test after being banned from bowling off-spin by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) due to a suspect action.
"We are still waiting to hear the results of the tests, not a lot we can do. He is continuing to work on his new action like he has done for the last few months. When we get to know we will make some decisions from there," he said.
Lauding his team's bowling efforts, Bayliss said the quality of the bowlers in his side has made the difference, contributing to the team's success.
"All teams play to their strengths and the players they have got; I believe we are doing that. We have some quality seamers; those who can extract bounce from the wicket. The second half of the season, it gets hot, the wicket takes turn and we have the spinners who are doing the job. Our bowlers for the last 3-4 years have done a fantastic job," said the 52-year-old.
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The Australian also hailed chinaman bowler Brad Hogg, who replaced Narine.
"Brad Hogg has done a fantastic job in Sunil's absence. We picked Hogg as a replacement for Sunil. We weren't sure what exactly was with Sunil so we wanted a spinner," he said.
"Even against players who play him regularly, they find Hogg difficult to pick and he performed a similar role for the Perth Scorchers in September. If the batters are not sure what is coming down the wicket, it just makes their job that much difficult and hopefully that means more wickets for us."