New City boasts the association's most cosmopolitan team.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Phoenix has five Indians, an Englishman and Zimbabwe's Tarisai Musakanda to host Lavington on Saturday.
"It wasn't a deliberate ploy, it was just the way it worked out," coach Akki Murthy said of his Indian-born team-mates.
"We are all friends, this was an opportunity for us to play together and play at the highest level.
"But everybody is equal here, they all live and work in Australia, so even though they come from India, they're known as Australians and it's all about integration for us mate."
IN OTHER NEWS:
Everything about the Phoenix this season is new - players, coach, committee and captain.
And one of the newcomers in right-arm off-spinner Bhupinder Singh impressed with 5-50 in the first four rounds of T20.
"He bowls extremely slow in the air and he makes the batsmen come at him, that is his strong point," Murthy said.
"He bowls a really good spot and puts it above the batsman's eyeline, which makes it extremely difficult to counter it."
The club snapped a finals drought two years ago, but posted only four wins in finishing second last in 2018-19.
Some clubs don't aim too high after a rebuild, but Murthy says the top six is a realistic goal.
"That's our first and primary goal, to qualify for the finals (at 50-over level)," he said.
"We want to make sure we are fifth or sixth on the ladder as soon as possible and stay there right to the end, anything above five on the ladder is a really good achievement.
"We are a good side to be right up there, we beat 'Lavi' and East Albury convincingly a few weeks ago."
New City bagged its first win with an upset over premiers Lavington in round three at T20 level.
The Panthers claimed last year's crown in the shortened version, but the Phoenix smashed them by seven wickets.
And the following day, New City made 8-120 and tore through East for just 57.
Last week's opening 50-over game was a tougher test against premiers North Albury, who raced to 8-302.
But Musakanda quickly showed his class by posting an unbeaten 139 - among the highest scores in recent years - playing shots all over North's Bunton Park.
New City stunned the association when it played finals in 2017-18, largely on the back of English import Saif Zaib, who was third in run-scoring with 519 at 39.92.
He was the only player in the top 15, although fellow Englishman Sam Grant played a leading role with the ball, taking 26 wickets at 15.96.
Grant is still in form, so it will be interesting to see if the one gun bat in Musakanda can carry his team to finals, like Zaib.
The draw doesn't make it easy as the Phoenix faces five of last season's finalists in the opening rounds.
Belvoir, Tallangatta and Wodonga follow, so New City's hopes of finals could rest on early upsets.