Otago Volts vs Northern Brave Match Prediction

Otago Volts and Northern Brave, who have found themselves at the bottom of the points table in Super Smash, will look to register their first win of the season on December 28 in Match 5 of the competition, scheduled to begin at 7.10 AM IST in Queenstown. While the Brave, led by Jeet Raval, endured a humiliating nine-wicket defeat against Canterbury in the tournament opener, Hamish Rutherford’s Volts suffered a hard-fought eight-run loss to Wellington Firebirds in their previous encounter.

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Otago Volts vs Northern Brave Chance of Winning

The Brave, comprising of star New Zealanders Tim Seifert, Mitchell Santner, Scott Kuggeleijn, and Raval among many others, have been considered outright favourites by the bookmakers, assigning them winning odds of 1.49. On the other hand, the Volts, given their terrible last season where they only had one win out of 10 league matches, have been rewarded with lucrative odds of 2.61.

Our Prediction

One may be surprised to know that the Volts had enjoyed three wins from their last five meetings with the Brave. Even last year, the Volts’ solitary victory in Super Smash came against the Brave. Added to it, the Volts looked more settled than the Brave in their opening fixtures, especially with the ball in hand. Therefore, our prediction would be to bank upon Rutherford and his boys to reap rewards.

Otago Volts to win @ 2.61(Melbet)
Northern Brave to win @ 1.49 (Melbet)

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Otago Volts vs Northern Brave Prediction & Betting Tips 2022

The Brave, last season’s champions, had an awful start this year. They could only muster 96 runs with the loss of five wickets against Canterbury after rain reduced it to a 14-over-a-side affair. Had Brett Hampton not hit a brisk 14-ball 25 after coming at No. 6, their team total would have been more embarrassing. Coming to defend, Tim Pringle and Mitchell Santner bowled economically, going for less than five runs an over, but the others failed to live up to the expectations before Canterbury saw off the target in 12.5 overs with nine wickets in hand.

On the other hand, the Volts rode on Michael Rae’s 3/13 and Dean Foxcroft's 2/14 to restrict Wellington Firebirds to 152/8 in their opening fixture. However, their batters, barring Foxcroft (73 off 57 balls) and Llew Johnson (24 off 12 balls), disappointed altogether, resulting them in closing on 144/7. The Volts will expect a significant knock from Dale Phillips, who struggled throughout his 38-ball stay in their previous encounter for 28 runs. For the star-studded Brave, Tim Seifert, who departed without scoring against Canterbury, holds the key.

In T20s, the two sides last played at the same venue in Queenstown’s John Davies Oval, where the Brave posted 146/8 batting first, with Katene Clarke top-scoring 37-ball 49. In reply, the Volts saw off the target with two balls and three wickets to spare, courtesy of Neil Broom’s fine 53-ball 62, ably supported by Llew Johnson’s 13-ball 25.

Otago Volts vs Northern Brave Match Toss Prediction

In all four matches so far in the competition, teams have decided to field first on every occasion after winning the toss. Although they had a 50% success rate, the losing sides were agonizingly close until the results. Hence, whichever team will win the toss in this fixture, is likely to continue the trend by opting to bowl first.

Weather Report

As per Accuweather, there is a 1% probability of precipitation on the December 28 morning, with a temperature of 28° C. It will reduce to 0% when the match begins (2.40 PM local time), and the cloud cover will simultaneously decrease from 32% to 8%. So, expect a full 20-over game without any inclement weather.

Otago Volts Player List

Otago Volts squad for Super Smash:Hamish Rutherford (c), Dale Phillips (wk), Dean Foxcroft, Josh Finnie, Michael Rippon, Llew Johnson, Jake Gibson, Ben Lockrose, Jacob Duffy, Matthew Bacon, Michael Rae, Andrew Hazeldine

Predicted Playing XI

Hamish Rutherford	Captain and batsman
Dale Phillips	Wicket-keeper batsman
Dean Foxcroft	All-rounder
Josh Finnie	Batsman
Michael Rippon	Captain
Llew Johnson	Batsman
Jake Gibson	All-rounder
Ben Lockrose	All-rounder
Jacob Duffy	Bowler
Matthew Bacon	Bowler
Michael Rae	Bowler

Otago Volts Team Form

Having registered two wins and as many defeats, the Volts were fourth on the points table in the Ford Trophy until Super Smash got underway. Notably, they are yet to face the Brave in the 50-over domestic competition.

Northern Brave Player List

Northern Brave squad: Jeet Raval (c), Tim Seifert (wk), Katene Clarke, Joe Carter, Mitchell Santner, Henry Cooper, Brett Hampton, Scott Kuggeleijn, Kristian Clarke, Tim Pringle, Joe Walker, Zak Gibson

Predicted Playing XI

Tim Seifert	Wicket-keeper and batsman
Katene Clarke	Batsman
Jeet Raval	Captain and batsman
Joe Carter	Batsman
Mitchell Santner	All-rounder
Henry Cooper	Batsman
Brett Hampton	All-rounder
Scott Kuggeleijn	All-rounder
Kristian Clarke	Bowler
Tim Pringle	Bowler
Joe Walker	Bowler

Northern Brave Team Form

The Brave were doing well in the Ford Trophy before the Super Smash campaign began. They only had one defeat in six matches, of which they won three, and two ended with no result.

Otago Volts vs Northern Brave Head to Head

The Volts and the Brave have met each other in 32 T20s so far, of which the Volts ended up winning 17 times. The Brave, on the other hand, had emerged victorious on 11 occasions while four matches were finished with no result.

Otago Volts vs Northern Brave Betting Odds

The Brave to hit less than 12.5 fours in innings @2

After losing Seifert and Raval early, the Brave struggled to get going against Canterbury. In a game that was reduced to 14-over-a-side due to rain interruption, they managed to hit only five fours. On the other hand, the Volts conceded only eight fours against the swashbuckling Wellington Firebirds, which suggests how clinical their bowling unit is. Hence, bank upon the Volts bowlers to yield dividends.

Otago Volts vs Northern Brave Top Team Batsmen

Hamish Rutherford to be Otago Volts’s top batter @4

Rutherford departed cheaply last time against Wellington Firebirds, scoring only two off four balls before falling to Logan van Beek. With 229 runs at a strike rate of 131.6, the Volts skipper finished as the highest-run-getter among his teammates, and having scored more than 4,000 runs in this format across 169 innings, he will aim to lead by example against the Brave.

Tim Seifert to be Northern Brave’s top batter @3.74

Similar to Rutherford, Seifert had a disappointing outing in the tournament opener, falling for a three-ball duck to Henry Shipley. However, one should not forget how impressive he was last season in Super Smash, where he aggregated 239 runs at 123.19. Keep faith in the Kiwi wicket-keeper batter to score big against the Volts.

Otago Volts vs Northern Brave Top Team Bowlers

Michael Rae to be Otago Volts’s top bowler @4.5

Rae, Volts’ 27-year-old right-arm quick, showed his class last time against Wellington Firebirds. He dismissed both Firebirds openers – Finn Allen and Nick Kelly – in the same over, and then followed his magnificent spell by removing Tim Robinson. With 25 wickets in 21 matches at an average of 23.92, he has become the pick of the Volts bowler in quick time.

Mitchell Santner to be Northern Brave’s top bowler @3.74

Santner, one of New Zealand’s most consistent bowlers in limited-overs cricket, conceded only 14 runs off his three overs in Brave’s previous match against Canterbury, although he did not have any success. The 30-year-old has a decent average of 23.95 in T20s, having picked 146 wickets in as many matches, and with the start he has got this year in Super Smash, he is expected to improve his numbers even more.