Otago vs Wellington Match Prediction

Otago will take on Wellington in their respective fifth match of the Plunket Shield at the University Oval in Dunedin from Saturday, February 25. The action will kick start from 3 AM IST.

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Otago are placed at the bottom of the 6-team points table, while Wellington are occupying the third spot. Canterbury (52) are the table-toppers, with Central Districts (46) at the second spot. Northern Districts (33) are placed fourth and Auckland (32) are occupying the fifth spot

Facts

Tom Blundell will miss the match for Wellington as he is part of New Zealand for the England Tests.
New Zealand international Doug Bracewell has been in sublime form for Otago. The 28-year-old has picked two five-wicket hauls in four matches so far.
Rachin Ravindra has scored 272 runs and picked eight wickets for Wellington.

Otago vs Wellington Chance of Winning

Otago might be the bottom-ranked team but placing your bets on them won't be a bad idea. We will tell you why. Tom Blundell, the highest run-scorer for Wellington will not be featuring in the match as he is in the New Zealand squad for the 2-match Test series against England. He is the only batter in his team with an average in excess of 40 in the Plunket Shield 2022-23. In his absence the onus will be on Rachin Ravindra who has scored 272 runs in four matches at an average of 34. Nick Kelly is the third-highest run-scorer with 209 runs at an average of 26.12. The batting unit looks highly exposed.

Pacer Logan van Beek (11) has played only one match for the side in the season and his availability is not certain. Pacers Michael Snedden (17) and Ian McPeake (16) will have the onus of bowling against a competitive Otago squad. Left-arm spinner Rachin Ravindra is the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the team with eight scalps at an average of 37.25. No other bowler from the team has more than five wickets.

Otago hadn't had a standout performer with the bat so far, however, the batting unit has scored runs collectively and a handful of batters have taken the responsibility. Jake Gibson has scored 171 runs in three matches at an average of 42.75. Michael Rippon (234), Thorn Parkes (258), Dean Foxcroft (239) and Max Chu (198) have scored decently. Pacers Jacob Duffy (22), Michael Rippon (15) and Travis Muller (14) have formed a nice trio.

The overall balance of the Otago squad make them favourites to grab a win over Wellington who might see their batting order crumble.

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Otago vs Wellington Tournament Prediction & Betting Tips 2022

Tough road lies ahead for Wellington as Tom Blundell would most likely be unavailable for their last four round of matches due to his international commitments. The batters will have to pull up their socks and the bowlers will have to punch above their weight if they fancy a chance to finish in the top three.

Otago have a similar situation at hand but are in a better position than Wellington. If they play with a stable head, a top-three finish can be well on cards.

Otago vs Wellington Match Toss Prediction

Otago elected to bat first in the first match of the season at University Oval in Dunedin. They ended up losing the match against Northern Districts by five wickets. In the last two matches at the venue during the previous season of the Plunket Sheild, Otago elected to field first against Wellington and won the match by seven wickets. They took the same decision in the match prior to it but ended up losing it by 213 runs against Auckland. There is a chance that the team winning the toss would opt to bowl.

Weather Report

Dunedin weather is expected to make for proper cricketing conditions during the course of four-day play. Except for Day 3, there is no prediction for rain. The temperature will hover around 20 to 22 degree celsius.

Otago Player List

Otago Squad

Dale Phillips, Hamish Rutherford (c), Neil Broom, Nick Kelly, Thorn Parkes, Anaru Kitchen, Angus McKenzie, Jacob Cumming, Josh Finnie, Michael Rippon, Max Chu (wk), Mitch Renwick (wk), Ben Lockrose, Jacob Duffy, Jake Gibson, Jarrod McKay, Matthew Bacon, Michael Rae, and Travis Muller.

Otago Predicted XI

Hamish Rutherford (c)	Batsman
Jacob Cumming	Batsman
Dale Philips	Batter
Dean Foxcroft	Batsman
Thorn Parkes	Batsman
Max Chu	Batsman and Wicket-keeper
Jake Gibson	All-rounder
Michael Rippon	Bowler
Travis Muller	Bowler
Jacob Duffy	Bowler
Jarrod McKay	Bowler

Otago Team Form

Otago defeated Auckland by 168 runs to kick off their campaign. Their second match against Northern Districts ended in a draw. The side went on to lose their third and fourth match. Canterbury handed them an innings and 29 runs defeat, while Northern Districts beat them by five wickets.

Wellington Player List

Wellington Squad

Devan Vishvaka, Devon Conway, Finn Allen, Jakob Bhula, Michael Bracewell, Nick Greenwood, Tim Robinson, Troy Johnson, James Neesham, Jamie Gibson, Luke Georgeson, Peter Younghusband, Rachin Ravindra, Callum McLachlan (wk), Gareth Severin, Lauchie Johns (wk), Tom Blundell (c) & (wk), Ben Sears, Hamish Bennett, Ian McPeake, James Hartshorn, Kieran McComb, Logan van Beek, Michael Snedden, Nathan Smith, and Ollie Newton.

Wellington Predicted XI

Luke Georgeson	Batsman
Rachin Ravindra	All-rounder
Troy Johnson	Batter
Nick Kelly	Batsman
Tim Robinson	Batsman
Lauchie Johns (wk)	Batsman and Wicket-keeper
Peter Younghusband	Bowler
Logan Van Beek	Bowler
Adam Leonard	All-rounder
Ian Mcpeake	Bowler
Michael Snedden	Bowler

Wellington Team Form

Wellington kicked off their campaign with a one-run win over Northern Districts. They later faced two back-to-back defeats against Canterbury (by 290 runs) and Auckland (by nine wickets). The side defeated Central Districts by 68 runs in their last match.

Otago vs Wellington Aces Head to Head

In the last five matches between the two teams, Otago have won three matches including the last one in 2022. Wellington emerged victorious on two occasions.

Otago vs Wellington Betting Odds

Otago to win

With a well rounded batting unit and three good pacers, Otago are in a strong position to topple Wellington. Otago have lost two of their four matches but when observed from close quarters, their performance has been decent apart from their match against Canterbury who were playing with three New Zealand internationalsTom Latham, Hentry Nicholls and Matt Henry in the eleven.

Wellington are sure to miss the absence of their batting mainstay Tom Blundell - their highest run-scorer and only player from the side to average over 40 in the Plunket Shield 2022-23. Side's third-highest scorer is a batter who is averaging 26.12. An exceptional bowling effort will be required from Wellington pacers if they plan to keep their team in the hunt.

Otago vs Wellington Top Team Batsmen

Dean Foxcroft to be Otago's top batter

The 24-year-old right-hand batter has scored 239 runs in four matches at an average of 34.14 so far. He is currently his team's second-highest run-scorer. Overall, he has played 12 first-class matches and scored 581 runs at an average of 29.05.

Rachin Ravindra to be Wellington's top batter

Rachin Ravindra is currently the highest run-scorer for his team. He has scored 272 runs in four matches at an average of 34. One hundred has come off his bat so far. Overall, he has scored 38.50 runs in 43 matches at an average of 38.50. He has five hundreds and 12 fifties to his name in the format.

Otago vs Wellington top bowler

Jacob Duffy to be Otago's top bowler

The pacer has picked 22 wickets for his team in four matches at an average of 21.36. He is their leading wicket-taker. Overall, he has played 85 first-class matches and picked 245 wickets at an average of 32.86.

Michael Snedden to be Wellington's top bowler

Michael Snedden could emerge as the leading wicket-taker for his team against Otago. Overall, he has featured in 16 first-class matches and picked 39 wickets at an average of 30.15. In the ongoing tournament, he is Wellington's leading wicket-taker with 17 scalps in four matches at an average of 17.41.

Our Prediction

Favorites to win: Otago

Otago to win @ 1.678(Melbet)

Wellington to win @ 2.11 (Melbet)

Shankar Shekh

Sportscafe's author

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