Dhaka, July 1 (IANS) South Africa Twenty20 captain Faf du Plesis on Wednesday said the Indian Premier League (IPL) has helped them succeed in the subcontinent in recent years.

South Africa will play two T20Is, three One-Day Internationals (ODI) and two Tests against Bangladesh beginning from July 5.

In the last five years, the Proteas have won three out of eight Tests, 16 out of 28 ODIs, and 11 out of 17 T20Is in the subcontinent which includes drawn Test series against India and Pakistan and a triumph over Sri Lanka whom they defeated in an ODI series.

“The IPL is probably the biggest reason we have had success in the sub-continent,” du Plessis was quoted as saying by espncricinfo.com.

“South African players enjoy playing in the IPL and over the period of eight IPLs, South African players have had reasonably good tournaments there,” he said.

The right-hand middle order batsman insisted the series will be a platform to improve before the 2016 World T20 in India.

“It’s my responsibility as a captain to make sure the guys are looking at conditions here and looking ahead to the World T20,” said the 30-year-old.

“This series is very important for us because our eye is still on the World T20 in India.”