Otago has been decimated by injuries and will take on Northern Districts in Whangarei today with nothing to lose.
Neil Wagner, Josh Finnie and Ryan Duffy have all succumbed to the broken finger epidemic sweeping through the camp, while national duties mean key players Neil Broom and Jimmy Neesham are also unavailable.
Former Black Caps opener Hamish Rutherford has been sidelined with a back injury since mid January, and Black Caps spinner Mark Craig has not been sighted all season after a run of injuries.
What is left has a rather patched-up look. The bowling attack, in particular, looks green and the Volts will sorely miss the potency Wagner and Neesham bring.
Right-armer Jacob Duffy is making his return for the province after spending the last two months remodelling his action in the nets. It will be interesting to see how he goes with batsman like Daniel Flynn and BJ Watling hitting the ball back at him.
Strapping pace bowler Michael Rae has been in good form in club cricket but has struggled for consistency at the next level, while promising 18-year-old Nathan Smith is still learning his craft.
It is a young trio and they will likely need some solid support from all-rounders Sam Wells and Christi Viljoen.
Wells has been labouring with the red ball. He has two first-class wickets at an average of 120 this summer but Viljoen has enjoyed more success. He picked up a five wicket-bag against Auckland in round two and can be an awkward proposition to face.
Dutch international Michael Rippon potentially shapes as the key bowler. The left-arm leg-spinner shone for Otago in the latter half of the one-day competition and has rejoined the team for the remainder of the Plunket Shield.
But the 25-year-old, who will be making his first-class debut for Otago, has been asked to open the batting as well, so he will have a heavy workload. He showed potential at the top of the order in the one-dayers but first-class cricket will present a greater challenge.
He will have an experienced partner in Brad Wilson down the other end. The Otago captain will be relishing an opportunity to open after languishing down the order during the limited-overs campaigns.
He is the second leading scorer in the competition with 433 runs at an average of 72.16 and his wicket will be a priority for Northern.
With Michael Bracewell in a lean patch, Anaru Kitchen shapes as the other big threat. He smashed an undefeated 143 for Otago in its final one-day match but missed the start to the Plunket Shield with a finger injury.
Wicketkeeper Derek de Boorder is nine dismissals away from capturing his 300th dismissal for Otago and is closing in on 4000 runs for the province. The Volts will lean heavily on de Boorder’s experience and the runs he offers in the middle order.
Former international Flynn will make his return from a hip injury and will resume leadership of the Northern Districts team which includes Black Caps Corey Anderson and Watling.Brothers Joe and Freddy Walker have also been named in the team.
There is plenty of sun forecast but also a chance of showers on the first three days.Northern lead the standings with 52 points, while Otago is battling at the bottom of the table with 23 points.
In the other games, Auckland hosts Central Districts at Colin Maiden Park and the Wellington and Canterbury game will get under way at the Basin Reserve tomorrow.
