The 33-year-old is making his third appearance in the lucrative event. He was part of the Otago team which contested the inaugural tournament in 2009 and returned to India with the Sixers last year.
The experienced offspinner opened the bowling in the final and took three for 24 to help set up a 10-wicket win over South Africa's Highveld Lions.
''There are definitely some familiarities,'' McCullum said.
''When I played for Sydney in the Big Bash, we went on a roll and carried that through to the Champions League. I think we went 15 games unbeaten.
''That's a familiar road with the Volts winning 10 games in a row. I only played a couple of games for Otago last summer but it would be nice to repeat the dose and keep winning.
''We'll have to wait and see but we've got a solid team and a lot of experience. We should go all right.''
Otago was bundled out of the 2009 tournament following two unimpressive performances in pool play. Ten players are returning for a second attempt and the squad of 15 also features nine past or present internationals.
The McCullum brothers, Nathan and younger brother Brendon, and import Ryan ten Doeschate shape as Otago's greatest weapons.
Brendon is the No 2 ranked twenty20 batsman in the world and capable of winning matches single-handedly.
Nathan is New Zealand's leading twenty20 bowler and is ranked 12th in the world. He is also a very useful middle-order batsmen in the shorter format. Both are exceptional fieldsmen.
Ten Doeschate has been described as one of the finest cricketers in the world not to play test cricket. South African-born but of Dutch extraction, he threw his kit bag in with the Netherlands and was outstanding at the 2011 World Cup with two centuries, including a fabulous innings of 119 against England.
He was in great form for Otago in the domestic twenty20 tournament, scoring 401 runs at an average of 50.12. But his participation in the tournament is far from certain. Ten Doeschate needs clearance from his county side, Essex, which is involved in a struggle to gain promotion to division one of the first-class competition.
Essex is playing Kent this week. A win would keep its promotions prospects alive and, consequently, jeopardise ten Doeschate's prospects of playing for Otago in the qualifiers. After a rain-affected opening day, Essex had reached 186 for four; ten Doeschate was out for 11.
Outside of the McCullums and ten Doeschate, Otago can call on the likes of Aaron Redmond, Hamish Rutherford, Ian Butler and Neil Wagner.
Redmond is one of three players in the squad to have scored a twenty20 hundred, which is still quite a rare feat.
Rutherford scored a century on test debut but, at one point in his career, he was considered a twenty20 specialist.
Butler is a canny all-rounder who helped Otago close games with power hitting and tight bowling, and Wagner is a better bowler with the red ball in his hand but has the ability to take wickets at the top of the innings.
Of course, every team involved in the CLT20 qualifying series has match-winners in its ranks.
The Volts open their campaign on September 17 against the Faisalabad Wolves (Pakistan) in Mohali.
The following day, Otago plays a classy Sri Lankan side, the Kandurata Maroons, and it completes the qualifiers on September 20 with a tough fixture against an Indian Premier League team, the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Some confidence, a little luck and a good start could see Otago finish in the top two and take a spot in the group stage.
McCullum has never been short of confidence during his career. He is one of those players who lifts others around him. If he is not scoring runs or taking wickets, he is pulling off stunning feats of athleticism in the field.
While Brendon will lead the side, Nathan has plenty to offer in terms of leadership. He also knows what it takes to win the tournament.
''I've been in the Otago team for quite a few years now, so it's part of my role to offer my experience to the younger blokes and pass on some of the things I've learned from playing international cricket. I'll just chip in where I can.''
McCullum will be able to provide the Otago camp with plenty of good intelligence on his IPL team, the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
But, in his view, most of the sides are evenly matched and it will come down to who can best pull together.
Champions League
The qualifiers
THE FORMAT
Four teams will play each other in a round robin, with the top two teams progressing to the group stage of the CLT20.
If Otago gets through qualifying, it will play in group A, regardless of whether it finishes first or second.
The group stage features two pools of five teams. The top two teams in each pool will progress to the semifinals.
OTAGO'S DRAW
September 17: v Faisalabad Wolves (Pakistan)
September 18: v Kandurata Maroons (Sri Lanka)
September 20: v Sunrisers Hyderabad (India)
*All qualifying games at PCA Stadium, Mohali.
Otago squad: Brendon McCullum (captain), Hamish Rutherford, Aaron Redmond, Ryan ten Doeschate, Nathan McCullum, James Neesham, Ian Butler, Derek de Boorder, Neil Wagner, Nick Beard, Jacob Duffy, Neil Broom, Michael Bracewell, Mark Craig, James McMillan.
THE TEAMS
Faisalabad Wolves
How they qualified: Won the Faysal Bank Super Eight T20 Cup.
Key players: Experienced campaigner Misbah-ul-Haq was the tournament's leading scorer with 206 runs in five games and Saeed Ajmal is one of the world's leading spin bowlers.
Prospects: Arguably, they are the weakest of the three sides Otago will play but anything can happen in twenty20 cricket.
Kandurata Maroons
How they qualified: Won the Super 4's T20.
Key players: Elegant left-hander Kumar Sangakkara is better suited to longer formats but his presence will be a huge boost to the Maroons. Spinner Ajantha Mendis is likely to be a handful in Indian conditions.
Prospects: Kandurata has a well-balanced team with bundles of international experience. Its bowling line-up, in particular, looks very strong.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
How they qualified: Placed fourth in the IPL.
Key players: An all-star cast featuring overseas players Cameron White, Dale Steyn, JP Duminy and Darren Sammy. Power, pace, poise and aggression pretty much sums it up.
Prospects: With talent to burn and plenty of big-game experience, the Sunrisers should make it through the qualifying stage.
