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Puttick scored 104 not out off 62 balls as the Cobras posted 193 for four before Otago were bowled out for 139 with 17 balls of their innings remaining.
The win means that the Cobras are the first side to advance to the “Super Eights” stage of the tournament after the Western Cape franchise beat the Royal Challengers Bangalore by five-wickets in their opening match.
Opening batsman Puttick comfortably eclipsed his previous best T20 score of 86 as he raced to three figures off 60 balls while his final tally included 12 fours and a six.
Otago captain Craig Cumming won the toss and elected to bowl first but Puttick played shots all around the wicket while his paddles and scoops past short fine leg were particularly impressive.
Justin Ontong provided some destructive hitting towards the back-end of the Cobras’ innings as he rocketed to 39 not out off just 14 balls with the right-hander’s knock including two fours and four sixes.
Ontong’s late assault ensured that the Cobras scored 67 runs off the last five overs of their innings.
Despite Ontong’s heroics, Puttick deserves all the plaudits he gets for his innings as he was not initially included in the Cobras’ squad for the tournament and was only called up when Graeme Smith withdrew.
The 28-year-old Puttick shared in a 95-run third-wicket stand with JP Duminy (33) before Duminy was caught on the long-off boundary by Aaron Redmond off the bowling of seamer Ian Butler.
Otago’s decision to field first looked to have been a good one as medium-pacer Dimitri Mascarenhas, who opened the bowling, returned figures of two for 20 off four overs before Puttick and Ontong’s onslaught.
Otago needed to score at almost ten runs to the over from the start of their innings and the pressure told as three batsmen were run out with Henry Davids being responsible for two of the aforementioned run outs.
Davids accounted for Brendon McCullum (21) with a fine throw from the third man boundary while Brendon’s brother, Nathan, was the only other batsman to challenge the Cobras’ imposing total.
The right-handed Nathan blasted his way to 38 runs off 21 balls before he became the sixth wicket to fall when he spooned a catch to Monde Zondeki at short fine leg off the bowling of seamer Rory Kleinveldt.
In the absence of the injured Charl Langeveldt, Kleinveldt led the Cobras’ bowling attack with aplomb as he returned figures of three for 24 off three overs.
Off spinner Duminy wrapped up Otago’s tail as he captured two for ten.
Teams:
Cape Cobras - Andrew Puttick (capt), Herschelle Gibbs, JP Duminy, Henry Davids, Justin Ontong, Vernon Philander, Rory Kleinveldt, Stiaan van Zyl, Ryan Canning (wk), Claude Henderson, Monde Zondeki. Otago Volts - Brendon McCullum, Aaron Redmond, Hamish Rutherford, Craig Cumming (capt), Neil Broom, Nathan McCullum, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Ian Butler, Derek de Boorder (wk), Warren McSkimming, Neil Wagner.
