Brendon McCullum will play for the Otago Volts at the Champions League, after New South Wales confirmed he is not interested in playing for the Australian side.
McCullum is one of several players who are eligible to play for both sides in the upcoming Champions League, which features 12 provincial teams from seven nations, and starts on October 8.
McCullum qualified for New South Wales as he played for the Australian side in its twenty/20 final, and also qualified for Otago, as he played for the side in its successful run to win the domestic twenty/20 title.
The Champions League council released a statement yesterday saying teams could list players who were eligible for more than one squad, and it would be up to the player to decide where he would play.
Other players eligiblefor two sides include Australians Nathan Bracken and David Warner, and Herschelle Gibbs, of South Africa.
But a Cricket New South Wales spokesman said McCullum has told Cricket New South Wales chief executive Dave Gilbert that he is playing for Otago.
By playing for New South Wales in their domestic final, McCullum had guaranteed himself playing in the Champions League should Otago not have made it.
But the Volts won the domestic competition, giving McCullum the luxury of playing for either side.
Under the tournament rules, New South Wales would have had to pay $US200,000 ($NZ298,000) to Otago for McCullum's services.
McCullum could not be contacted yesterday and his representative, Stephen Fleming, did not return calls.
Otago Cricket Association chief executive Ross Dykes had always been confident of getting McCullum and had named the New Zealand wicketkeeper in the Volts' 19-strong squad, which will be cut to 15 next month.
