Otago was yesterday confirmed as the New Zealand entrant in the $9.8 million champions league twenty/20 cricket tournament in India later this year.
The league in India involves 12 provincial sides, with the draw, including venues, to be decided in London next month.
Otago captain Craig Cumming said of all the conversations he had with team mates yesterday after hearing the news, not one was about money.
"If there was nothing on offer, the guys would still want to be going. We want to go and play against the best," he said.
Though the sums mentioned were large, Cumming said it was not the sort of money you could retire on overnight.
"To get the good money you've got to be in the top three or four. But we have got the ability to go over there and win the competition."
An agreement between New Zealand Cricket and the NZ Cricket Players Association would have the players getting a cut of about 55% of prize money.
The rest would be shared seven ways among the six New Zealand associations.
Otago would get more than the five other associations to pay for preparation before the tournament.
Otago Cricket Association chief executive Ross Dykes said it was great for Otago cricket and a credit to everyone involved in Otago cricket.
With Brendon McCullum's IPL team, the Kolkata Knight Riders, not making the champions league, Dykes was confident the dashing New Zealand opening batsman would play for Otago.
If McCullum wanted to play for New South Wales, for which he had also qualified, the Australian side would have to pay a transfer fee of $327,000, although Dykes doubted the offer would be accepted.
English import Dimitri Mascarenhas had kept in touch with Dykes and was keen to turn out for Otago.
