Seamers Jacob Duffy and Warren Barnes and batsman Brad Wilson have made way for returning Black Cap Anaru Kitchen, all-rounder Christi Viljoen and pace bowler Michael Rae.
Kitchen’s return will bolster the side for today’s match against Central Districts in New Plymouth. He was named Otago player of the year last season and made his international debut during the recent T20 series against the West Indies.
The 33-year-old has not fired in the Super Smash with either the ball or the bat yet, but he is a proven match-winner.
Viljoen has been sidelined with an ankle complaint for the past five weeks and gets his first opportunity this summer. He took five wickets during an Otago A one-day game against the Bangladesh under-19 team earlier this week.
Rae has played in all five of Otago’s first-class games this season and is poised to make a rare appearance in coloured clothing. He has played in just one T20 match and that was a five-over affair against Wellington last summer.
If Viljoen and Rae make the starting XI, Otago will have used 20 players during the campaign.
It is a lot of turnover but coach Rob Walter said the key focus for the remainder of the tournament was to build for the future.
The Volts are out of contention in the Super Smash with just two points from seven games.
"Our focus is probably threefold moving forward," Walter said.
"One is to create opportunity for those guys who have not had much opportunity to play for us just yet — and to see what they have to offer in this format.
"Two is to continue to push to be better and win games for Otago. And three is to potentially provide us with a platform to get us battle-ready [when the one-day competition resumes]."
Barnes and Duffy are Otago’s leading wicket-takers in the competition with eight wickets apiece. Their absence is more a reflection of Walter’s desire to build depth.
"We’ve seen what they have to offer and we know what their game is about. We’re very confident we can call on them to play at any stage."
Seamer Matt Bacon made his debut for Otago in the nine-wicket loss to Northern Districts in Dunedin on Tuesday and batsman Llew Johnson also made his debut in that game.
Walter was pleased with the intensity Johnson, who is just 17-years-old, showed in the field and he felt Bacon bowled well in tricky circumstances.
"[Bacon] came on when they were racing and created an opportunity which unfortunately we did not take. Hopefully, he can deliver another good performance [today].
"With Llew we saw a young guy putting his body on the line in the field which was great to see."
Central has a strong line-up featuring dangerous batsmen Jesse Ryder and Tom Bruce, while seamer Blair Tickner has been is good form with 10 wickets at 7.85.
Otago v Central Districts
New Plymouth, today, 4pm
Otago: Rob Nicol (captain), Hamish Rutherford, Neil Broom, Shawn Hicks, Anaru Kitchen, Derek de Boorder, Josh Finnie, Michael Rippon, Christi Viljoen, Michael Rae, Matt Bacon, Neil Wagner, Llew Johnson.
Central Districts: Jesse Ryder, Ben Smith, Will Young, Tom Bruce, Dane Clever, Josh Clarkson, Christian Leopard, Ben Wheeler, Ajaz Patel, Seth Rance, Blair Tickner, Bevan Small.
