Cricket: Volts charged up to take on best

Otago Volts batsman Brendon McCullum. Photo / Getty Images

The Otago Volts begin their quest for US$2.5 million in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament on Saturday - and should have a full team, sparking fully, after New Zealand's good run in the Champions Trophy 50-over tournament in South Africa.

Black Caps Brendon McCullum, Aaron Redmond, Neil Broom and Ian Butler join the Volts in India this week and will play two practice matches against other Champions League contenders before the competition proper starts on Thursday night (NZT). Otago have their first match against the highly-rated Cape Cobras, of South Africa, on Saturday.

The tournament promises to be fascinating, not only because of the riches, but also because it pits New Zealander against New Zealander - with Daniel Vettori, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris and possibly Jesse Ryder (injury permitting) in action for sides other than Otago.

Otago cricket CEO Ross Dykes was pleased to see the Black Caps' progress in the Champions Trophy "as playing there will be the best possible preparation" for playing in the Champions League Twenty20. Butler's stomach problems appeared to have subsided and he was expected to play a full role in India, even given that country's history of gastric surprises for touring cricketers.

Money is a key factor in this showdown between the best Twenty20 teams from India, Australia, England, South Africa, the West Indies, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

The competition is split into four groups of three, with one team from each dropping out after the first round, and four teams going through to the semifinal after extended play.

The first four teams out will still earn US$100,000 and the prize money ratchets up from there, with the winners taking home US$2.5 million and US$6m up for grabs overall.

In most cases - and certainly in Otago's - the bulk goes to the players. Dykes explained that, after a large part is shared among the players, the rest goes to New Zealand Cricket. It will be divided seven ways among the main cricket associations, with "a little bit off the top" going to Otago Cricket.

"I think it's better that way," said Dykes. "If you have the team that wins reaping all the financial rewards, then what could happen is that they could keep everything, get incredibly rich and incredibly able to attract playing stocks - and win again and again.

"That's unlikely to happen in Otago, perhaps, but an Auckland could do that really easily so we think it's better for the sake of the national game that anything won is distributed like that."

Otago, however, have a tough job. They are in a tough pool against the Cape Cobras and the fourth-seeded Royal Challengers Bangalore, one of the top IPL sides who have a player list that includes Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid (India), Mark Boucher, Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn (South Africa), Ross Taylor and Ryder.

The Cobras contained South African skipper Graeme Smith and dashing test and ODI batsmen Herschelle Gibbs and JP Duminy, but Smith withdrew after being injured in the Champions Trophy.

Other groups, notably Group B, seem a lot easier with one of the top teams, New South Wales Blues, up against what seem to be two of the lesser sides, Sussex and Diamond Eagles from South Africa.

"Let's face it, anything can happen in Twenty20 cricket and anyone can beat anyone," said Dykes. "We have a good side who play well together and we have as good a shot as anyone."

Certainly Otago's batting line-up is as strong as most. With McCullum, Craig Cumming, Redmond, Broom, Nathan McCullum and hard-hitting English all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas, they have significant firepower. Their bowling does not contain as many well-known names but this is Twenty20 and bowlers do not generally have as great an impact on a game as batsmen do.

Otago have just played two practice matches in Queensland (won one, lost one) and will play the Deccan Chargers and Somerset in the lead-up to the tournament.

Sport features in their bloodlines

For Otago, Hamish Rutherford (son of Ken) is in India for this tournament.

Should Otago have to play Sussex, he could very well line up against Joe Gatting (son of English footballer Steve and nephew of former England cricket captain Mike).

Rutherford, 20, has played just five first-class matches and has an average of 13.

In Twenty20 matches, the hard-hitting left-hander has played just seven matches and has scored 200 runs, with a highest score of 87, at an average of 31.42 and a strike rate of just under 168.00.

Gatting is 21, and scored 152 in his only first-class match to date.

In Twenty20, he has played five matches, scoring 22 runs.

THE TEAMS:

OTAGO VOLTS SQUAD
Neil Broom, Nick Baird, Ian Butler, Craig Cumming (captain), Derek de Boorder, Matthew Harvie, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, James McMillan, Warren McSkimming, Aaron Redmond, Hamish Rutherford, Greg Todd, Neil Wagner.

The main threats:

Deccan Chargers
Winners of this year's IPL, the Chargers have a heavyweight combination with Australia's Adam Gilchrist and Andrew Symonds heading a batting cast that includes VVS Laxman and Scott Styris. RP Singh, Chaminda Vaas and Fidel Edwards all add value to the bowling.

New South Wales
Losing paceman Nathan Bracken to injury will be a blow but they still boast impressive bowling credentials with the likes of Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Nathan Hauritz, plus batsmen Simon Katich, David Warner, Brad Haddin and Phillip Hughes.

Royal Challengers Bangalore
One of the ``rock star' combinations, the Challengers have world-class batsmen like Rahul Dravid and Ross Taylor, all-rounders like Jacques Kallis, and bowlers like Anil Kumble and Dale Steyn, plus big-hitting Mark Boucher. Jesse Ryder is also part of this team and will be willing his groin injury to abate, given the dollars on offer here.

Cape Cobras
They'll miss Graeme Smith but still have JP Duminy and Herschelle Gibbs as two of the most dangerous dashers in limited overs cricket and the proven Charl Langeveldt to head the bowling.

Delhi Daredevils
Another IPL team, the Devils have lost another injured South African, AB de Villiers, but Tillakaratne Dilshan, Virender Sehwag, Owais Shah, Paul Collingwood, Gautam Gambhir, Amit Mishran and New Zealand's Dan Vettori is a formidable team list.

Victoria Bushrangers
David Hussey and big-hitting Cameron White head this team, along with Brad Hodge and Peter Siddle _ but watch out for blazing left hand bat, the aptly named Aiden Blizzard.

GROUPS AND GAMES:

Group A: Deccan Chargers, Somerset, Trinidad & Tobago.
Group B: Diamond Eagles, New South Wales Blues, Sussex Sharks.
Group C: Royal Challengers Bangalore, Otago Volts, Cape Cobras.
Group D: Delhi Daredevils, Wayamba (Sri Lanka), Victoria Bush rangers.

First matches
* Bangalore vs Cobras, October 8.
* NSW vs Eagles; Delhi vs Victoria, October 9.
* Cobras vs Otago; Deccan Chargers vs Somerset, October 10.

* Otago play Bangalore on October 12, with the competition moving into two leagues of four teams each, with the two top teams from each league being the semifinalists. The semifinals will be on October 21 and 22, with the final on October 23.