Opening batsman Hamish Rutherford is unavailable. Fast bowler Warren Barnes is recovering from a virus and seamer Matt Bacon is a late scratching after he picked up a knee complaint this week.
They have been replaced by seamer Jack Hunter, spinner Ben Lockrose and Carisbrook-Dunedin top-order batsman Cam Hawkins.
Former Black Caps spinner Mark Craig is still struggling with a back injury, and there is no Neil Broom or Anaru Kitchen who are concentrating on limited-overs cricket this season.
Volts coach Rob Walter has had to go outside of the contracted players to fill the vacancies.
Hunter will get his first opportunity this summer. He was Otago's leading one-day wicket-taker last season with 12 poles at an average of 22.75.
Hunter made his first-class debut in October 2015 and has played a total of 12 first-class games. He has 16 wickets at an average of 36.93.
The right-armer can hoop the ball in the right conditions but lacks the pace of Barnes or Bacon, who would have been assets at Molyneux Park.
Lockrose will making his first-class debut if he is selected in the starting XI. The 18-year-old played two twenty20 games for the province last season and got a start in the one-dayers against Canterbury in Christchurch last month.
Hawkins looks certain to make his debut. He will open alongside veteran right-hander Brad Wilson in the absence of Rutherford.
Hawkins put himself on the radar following a stunning club season. He was easily the leading batsman in the tournament with 776 runs at an average of 55.40.
It is quite an effort to average more than 50 in Dunedin conditions and defensively he looks very sound.
Otago team
To play Central Districts
Brad Wilson, Cam Hawkins, Josh Tasman-Jones, Shawn Hicks, Mitch Renwick, Josh Finnie, Nathan Smith, Michael Rippon, Jacob Duffy, Jack Hunter, Ben Lockrose, Christi Viljoen.
