The day Otago played its opening qualifying match in the tournament, the 19-year-old was flying back home to Dunedin. The biggest opportunity of his life had just been scuppered by a muscle strain.
''As the boys were off to the ground, I was off to the airport, which was quite gutting,'' Duffy said.
Duffy strained his left hamstring muscle while warming up two days before the Volts' match against the Faisalabad Wolves in Mohali last week.
''We'd gone through warm-ups and what not, and I was just starting to bowl. About the fifth ball I bowled, I felt something go and knew it was not too good.''
A scan revealed a grade two tear which usually needs four to six weeks to heal.
''I'm obviously keen to see the boys do well, but then it is quite hard to watch because I keep thinking I could be there.
''But there was no way I could play over there, so there was no point even trying to push it. The Champions League is a big deal but we still have a domestic season to play and I need to be fit for that.''
Duffy was a key performer for Otago in the HRV Cup. He was the tournament's joint leading wicket-taker with 15 scalps at an average of 21.66.
Otago all-rounder Sam Wells replaced Duffy in the squad but the real winner has been veteran paceman James McMillan.
In Duffy's absence, McMillan has impressed. The 35-year-old played in the first two qualifiers, taking three wickets at 13.66 and, importantly, conceding fewer than six runs an over.
Ian Butler has been the star bowler, though. He has taken five wickets at an average of 8.80 and enjoys an economy rate of 5.50 and a strike rate of 9.60. He has been quite brilliant.
''I think I would have been battling to make a starting spot, to be fair,'' Duffy said.
''All the bowlers are going really well, so they don't miss me too much.''
As for whether Duffy would receive a share of Otago's prize money, he was unsure but said he was not expecting any.
The total prize pool for the tournament is worth $NZ7.2 million. The winner's share is $3 million. The winnings are divided between the players and the cricket associations and the Otago players are in line for a pay day of about $100,000 each, should they win the tournament.
The Brisbane Heat suffered a four-run loss to South Africa's Titans in Mohali yesterday, ending its hopes of advancing in the Champions League after only two games, AAP reported.
Much as in their opening game loss to Trinidad and Tobago, the Heat's bowlers excelled before the batsmen let them down as they were bowled out for 119 chasing just 123 - leaving them at the bottom of their pool with one game to play.
Debutant paceman Matthew Gale finished with four for 10 off just 2.5, but Brisbane's chase took a major blow when captain James Hopes (37 from 44 balls) and allrounder Dan Christian (21) were dismissed in the space of three overs.
Otago played the Perth Scorchers late last night. For details, go the Otago Daily Times website (www.odt.co.nz).
