The Champions League is arguably the biggest sports event an Otago team has been part of, but do the Volts really have a chance of picking up the enormous $US2.5 million winner's cheque? Cricket writer Adrian Seconi takes a close look at the side's prospects.
Picking a winner of a twenty/20 match is a bit like gambling on whether it's going to be heads or tails at the toss.
Ask any player and they will tell you the abbreviated game can be a lottery.
But ask the same players if they can win and they will tell you it comes down to consistency.
Good teams find a way to win and good players find a way to win it for their side.
And, generally speaking, the more match-winners a team has, the better its prospects will be.
That is why Otago has as good a chance as any team at the Champions League.
With players such as Brendon McCullum, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Ian Butler, Neil Broom and Aaron Redmond, Otago has an abundance of class.
The problem is, so do the other 11 sides at the tournament.
And, to be fair, Otago has drawn a tough pool with South Africa's Cape Cobras and the Bangalore Royal Challengers vying to make the second round.
If Otago does have an advantage, it is that it will slip into the tournament without a great deal of expectation.
It is probably not an exaggeration to say everybody in India knows who Brendon McCullum is, but the likes of Warren McSkimming and Hamish Rutherford are not well known outside New Zealand's shores.
For those types of players, the Champions League is the greatest opportunity of their career.
And, perhaps, it will be one of the lesser-known players who stars at the tournament.
McSkimming is a wholehearted medium-pacer with 10 years' first-class experience.
His accuracy and work rate will be a great asset and he will not be overawed.
Rutherford, the son of former New Zealand cricketer Ken Rutherford, is just beginning his career, but the left-handed opener had a great debut summer.
Operating without fear, he plundered 220 runs at a fantastic strike-rate of 167.93 and helped set the platform for Otago's successful domestic twenty/20 title.
Keep an eye out for South African-born left-arm bowler Neil Wagner.
Wagner has thrown his hat in with New Zealand in the hope of playing international cricket and is a bowler of proven ability at first-class level.
Perhaps Otago's greatest strength is the number of options open to skipper Craig Cumming.
Aside from the main attack of Wagner, Mascarenhas, Butler, McSkimming and McCullum, Cumming could bowl himself or call on Broom, or perhaps even Redmond, at a pinch.
Left-arm spinner Nick Beard may get an opportunity if the conditions suit.
The batting line-up looks fairly settled, with Brendon McCullum and Rutherford the likely opening combination, then Redmond at No 3 followed by Cumming, Broom and Nathan McCullum.
Mascarenhas will float in the order and come in as the designated hitter.
There appears to be only one spot up for grabs.
If Brendon McCullum decides against taking the gloves, Derek de Boorder will come into the side.
Otherwise, the final spot will be decided by the conditions, with either an extra bowler or batsman coming into the starting XI.
Whoever the selectors opt for, Otago has a mighty challenge ahead.
It opens its campaign against the Cape Cobras tonight.
The South African side made a brilliant start to the two-week long tournament with a five-wicket win over the Bangalore Royal Challengers.
Top-order South African batsman JP Duminy thrashed an undefeated 99 from just 52 deliveries to help his side overhaul Bangalore's total of 180 for four.
One win could be enough for Otago to reach the second round, with the top two sides from pool C progressing to the final eight.
Volts v Cobras
Hyderabad, India
Sky Sport 1, tonight from 11.15pm
