Otago actually gets to play at home. The Volts have spent the first part of the summer on the road but will host Wellington at the University Oval tomorrow. Cricket writer Adrian Seconi previews the match.
The opening salvos have been fired and Otago has shown some promising early signs.
The Volts lead the twenty20 competition with two wins from three games and its key players have shone the brightest.
Paceman Jacob Duffy stepped up, in the absence of left-arm strike bowler Neil Wagner, to take a career-best five for 18 and help set up a comprehensive nine-wicket win against Canterbury at Hagley Oval on Thursday.
Experienced batsman Neil Broom paced the chase with 42 from 41 deliveries, while Michael Bracewell blazed away from the other end with 80.
The pair shared an undefeated 133-run stand for the second wicket.
Wellington's last outing was not so impressive.
The Firebirds dispatched Canterbury by seven wickets at Hagley Oval but came unstuck in Hamilton on Thursday night.
Northern Districts posted 184 for four and then dismissed the visitors for a miserly 72.
Neil Broom and Michael Papps are the two most experienced batsmen in their respective lineups and set the tone at the top of their batting orders.
Broom is a manufactured opener who has seized his opportunities since moving up the order.
Who will ever forget his undefeated 117 against Perth in Champions League two years ago.
He is also the leading scorer this season with 141 runs in three games.
Broom will be supported by the hard-hitting Anaru Kitchen and Brad Wilson.
Both have moved south this season to revitalise their careers.
Papps is more accomplished in the other two formats but, with seven twenty20 50s to his name, he is a player to respect.
Wellington's Craig Cachopa is a punching batsman with a fabulous strike rate and Stephen Murdoch has some good first-class form behind him.
Twenty20 is won by the batsmen, right? Not if Nathan McCullum and Jeetan Patel have anything to do with it.
They have been battling wits for 15 years and there is not much to separate them based on their career twenty20 records.
They are both right-arm offspin bowlers but approach the game quite differently.
McCullum tends to spear the ball in, pin batsmen down and wait for mistakes.
Patel is more attacking.
He flights the ball more and gets more spin.
How they bowl could have a big impact on the outcome.
Twenty20
Otago v Wellington
University Oval, 1pm
Otago: Anaru Kitchen, Neil Broom, Michael Bracewell, Brad Wilson, Nathan McCullum (captain), Derek de Boorder, Josh Finnie, Sam Wells, Bradley Scott, Jacob Duffy, Warren Barnes, Michael Rae.
Wellington (possible): Alecz Day, Michael Papps (captain), Stephen Murdoch, Craig Cachopa, Tom Blundell, Matt Taylor, Luke Woodcock, Jeetan Patel, Anurag Verma, Dane Hutchinson, Brent Arnel, Matt McEwan.
