Otago Volts will lock horns with Central Stags in the 27th match of the Super Smash 2023 at the University Oval in Dunedin on January 19. Otago Volts have been able to win just two games and are placed fifth in the rankings while Central Stags have managed to win just four of their nine games and are ranked third.

Otago Volts squared off against Auckland Aces in their last match where Otago Volts won the toss and elected to bat. They could not make the most of having chosen to bat as they lost wickets upfront. They had a couple of good partnerships in the process but could not make much from it. They were bowled out at a total of just 138 runs. Auckland had a decent start but lost a couple of wickets upfront as well. They had a brilliant partnership worth 105 runs for the fourth wicket which proved to be match-winning. They won the game by seven wickets.

Central Stags had played against Auckland Aces in their last encounter where Auckland Aces won the toss and elected to field. Stags lost a wicket early in the game but decent partnerships for second and third wickets stabled the ship for them. The fourth wicket stand worth 100 runs turned the game around as it helped them post a strong total of 173 runs. Auckland had a slow and sluggish start as they had lost four wickets at 24 runs in six overs. The middle order did take some responsibility but still could not recover from the shocks as they lost the game by 15 runs.

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The track at the University Oval in Dunedin is more helpful to batters in nature. With good seam and swing movement off the deck, pacers are expected to do well here. It would be a good contest between the bat and the ball here. Teams prefer to chase the total after winning the toss, with the average first innings score being 176.