CLT20 2013: As it happened - Otago Volts beat Kandurata Maroon by 8 wickets

Otago Volts beat Sri Lankan T20 champions by 6 wickets to inch closer to main draw. Catch all the highlights of the match here: (Scorecard | Commentary)

19:25 (IST): QUOTES -

Otago Volts captain Brendon McCullum: A big thank you to Tendo for his commitment. The running between the wickets was just crazy from him. It is very good to do well here coming from New Zealand. Hopefully we will continue the good form in the coming games.

Kandurata Maroons skipper Lahiru Thirimanne: We were 10-15 runs short. But the bowlers gave a good fight and unfortunately we couldn't defend this. The bowlers need to be consistent on these type of surfaces. We didn't expect the assault from Tendo.

19:02 (IST): That's it! Otago Volts win the match by 6 wickets. Ryan ten Doeschate slams 64 after in-form skipper Brendon McCullum failed to impress in this match. Tendo also picked up two crucial wickets earlier.

18:49 (IST): FIFTY! Ryan ten Doeschate scores his maiden fifty in Champions League Twenty20. Otago Volts 130/3 (15.5 overs) vs Kandurata Maroons 154/9. Otago need only 25 runs more to win.

18:33 (IST): WICKET! Neil Broom departs. Dilhara Lokuhettige gets his second wicket as Broom mistimes to Thilina Kandamby to long off. Otago Volts 89/3 (12.1 overs) vs Kandurata Maroons 154/9.

18:27 (IST): Ryan ten Doeschate hammers Kaushal Lokuarachchi for three consecutive sixes to bring Otago back in the game. Otago Volts 82/2 (11 overs) vs Kandurata Maroons 154/9.

18:13 (IST): WICKET! Brendon McCullum out after scoring just 8 runs. Dilhara Lokuhettige bowls a slower outside off, McCullum leans forward to defend it. In the process he looses balance and fails to drag his foot behind the line. Kumar Sangakkara takes the bails off in a flash. Otago Volts 45/2 (7.3 overs) vs Kandurata Maroons 154/9.

18:00 (IST): WICKET! Hamish Rutherford (20) gone. He looks for a big one but mistimes to Lokuhettige at long off. Suraj Randiv gets the breakthrough. Otago Volts 31/1 (4 overs) vs Kandurata Maroons 154/9. Brendon McCullum joins Neil Broom. (In pic: Otago Volts pacer Ian Butler)

17:55 (IST): Otago Volts are off to a flying start. After three overs, Otago are 24/0 with Neil Broom 9* and Hamish Rutherford 14*.

17:32 (IST): Kandurata Maroons score 154/9 in 20 overs against Otago Volts. Upul Tharanga notched up his maiden half-century in the Champions League Twenty20. For Otago, Ian Butler bagged three wickets, while Ryan ten Doeschate got two. James McMillan, Jimmy Neesham and Neil Wagner also picked a wicket each.

17:22 (IST): WICKET! Ian Butler bags three wickets in an over. Upul Tharanga caught at extra cover, Lokuarachchi bowled and Chamara Silva lbw. Kandurata Maroons 135/7 (18 overs) vs Otago Volts.

17:06 (IST): WICKET! Ryan ten Doeschate strikes again and this time he removes skipper Lahiru Thirimanne. Thirimanne plays an inside out  shot but fails to clear Brendon McCullum at extra cover. Kandurata Maroons 112/4 (15 overs) vs Otago Volts.

16:55 (IST): WICKET! Ryan ten Doeschate strikes in his first over to get rid of Dilhara Lokuhettige. Lokuhettige mistimes a slower delivery to Hamish Rutherford at long on. This also brings an end to 47-run partnership. Kandurata Maroons 99/3 (12.4 overs) vs Otago Volts.

16:48 (IST): FIFTY! Upul Tharanga slams his maiden half-century in the Champions League Twenty20. Kandurata Maroons 82/2 (11 overs) vs Otago Volts.

16:38 (IST): WICKET! Kumar Sangakkara out after scoring just 13. Sangakkara goes down the track but fails to middle it. Ryan ten Doeschate takes a simple catch at long on. Jimmy Neesham strikes. Kandurata Maroons 52/2 (8.3 overs) vs Otago Volts.

16:26 (IST): WICKET! James McMillan gets the breakthrough. Shehan Jayasuriya (13) out. Jayasuriya tries to slog a fullish delivery but misses it completely. Kandurata Maroons 25/1 (6 overs) vs Otago Volts.

16:23 (IST): Five overs have been bowled and Otago are yet to get a breakhtrough. They have alreay used three bowlers. Kandurata Maroons 17/0 (5 overs) against Otago Volts.

15:46 (IST): Teams -

Kandurata Maroons: Lahiru Thirimanne (captain), Upul Tharanga, Shehan Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara (wicketkeeper), Chamara Silva, Thilina Kandamby, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Dilhara Lokuhettige, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suraj Randiv, Ajantha Mendis

Otago Volts: Brendon McCullum (captain), Neil Broom, Hamish Rutherford, Ryan ten Doeschate, Jimmy Neesham, Nathan McCullum, Derek de Boorder (wicketkeeper), Ian Butler, Neil Wagner, Nick Beard, James McMillan

15:30 (IST): TOSS! Otago Volts skipper Brendon McCullum opts to bowl after winning toss against Kandurata Maroons at Mohali. Ryan ten Doeschate comes in for Aaron Redmond in Otago playing XI. Kandurata bring in Suraj Randiv for Lahiru Jayaratne.

15:15 (IST): Aaron Redmond and Hamish Rutherford are equally adept in the shortest version, while there is quality in Otago bowling department in the shape of Ian Butler, Nathan McCullum and Neil Wagner. They would be desperately hoping that Ravi Bopara, the England allrounder, does them a favour and turns up for Essex in the English county championship, because that will then mean Ryan ten Doeschate, the Dutch allrounder, will be available to play for Otago from the second qualification fixture on.

15:00 (IST): Captained by Lahiru Thirimanne, the stylish left-hand batsman, Kandurata boast such proven performers as Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Ajantha Mendis, Suraj Randiv, Thilina Kandamby, Dhammika Prasad and Chamara Silva, and will quietly fancy their chances of making a strong pitch for the next round.

14:30 (IST): Otago are a strong all-round side under Brendon McCullum, inarguably one of the most destructive batsmen in T20 cricket. Experienced and unconventional, McCullum can single-handedly alter the course of a game, but there is more to Otago than just their captain.

14:00 (IST): Kandurata wear a formidable look with a host of current internationals. The biggest draw is Kumar Sangakkara, who was almost hounded into choosing the Sri Lankan franchise ahead of Hyderabad, whom he led sporadically during IPL VI.

PREVIEW
The fifth edition of the Champions League Twenty20 is still a few days away - the tournament proper begins only on September 21 - but for the four teams vying for the two remaining slots in the main draw, the six-match qualifying phase beginning today at the PCA Stadium in Mohali is every bit as crucial as the matches in the main tournament.

Not only does making it past the qualifiers mean enhanced financial riches, it also serves to improve the profile of the franchise concerned, both at home and on the global stage.

As such, there is plenty at stake for Otago Volts, the New Zealand domestic Twenty20 champions, their Pakistani counterparts Faisalabad Wolves and Sri Lanka's Kandurata Maroons, as well as Sunrisers Hyderabad, who finished fourth on their IPL debut this year.

Each of the four sides will have to play three matches over four days. Consequently, there is little scope for slip-ups and even lesser time to brood and fret; teams that hit the ground running will always find themselves in a better space, which is precisely why in a format of this nature, it is imperative to get off to a winning start.

Eight teams have earned automatic berths - the top three finishers in the IPL (Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals), the first two in the Australian Big Bash League (Brisbane Heat and Perth Scorchers), the top two in the South African domestic tournament (Highveld Lions and Titans) and Trinidad & Tobago, the Caribbean domestic T20 champions. The top two from the qualifiers will earn the right to challenge the big boys following the round robin, all-play-all league that should throw up exciting action.