The Blues flew to South Australia on Thursday - a week earlier than anticipated - to bypass any potential COVID-19 issues and settle into their "bubble".

They play their Shield season opener against Victoria from October 22, followed by Western Australia (October 30), South Australia (November 8) and Victoria again (November 17).

In a dream start to his professional career, Sangha became the youngest player, at 18 years and 71 days, to score a century against England (in a tour match) since Indian great Sachin Tendulkar, 27 years earlier.

Within a year, the former Wallsend right-hander was a regular in both the NSW Shield and Sydney Thunder BBL sides.

But last season was something of a reality check for the former Australian under-19 captain.

He played only one Shield game, scoring five and 11 not out against South Australia, and did not feature for the Thunder.

But he heeded the advice of NSW coach Phil Jaques and started plundering runs for Randwick-Petersham in the Sydney grade competition, a habit he continued in round one this season with an innings of 95 against Blacktown.

"Ever since I was about 15 or 16, I've probably been fast-tracked a bit into a few programs, from [Australian] 17s to 19s to second XI cricket, and then Sheffield Shield and Big Bash," Sangha told the Newcastle Herald.

"So I look back in hindsight and last year was a massive learning curve.

"I don't just think I needed to prove it to the selectors, I needed to prove to myself that I could go back to the level below and dominate that, before getting another chance in first-class cricket.

"It was a good challenge.

"The coaching staff wanted me to go back and score runs, and I did that. I think I scored about 900 at an average of 84.

"So I think it was a good season in my development."

The NSW squad named features six current or former Test players - Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Peter Neville, Kurtis Patterson, Moises Henriques and Trent Copeland - but Steve Smith, Pat Cummins, David Warner and Adrian Zampa are all absent because of Indian Premier League commitments.

There will be fierce competition for spots in the NSW batting order, but Sangha's leg-spin bowling could make him a handy option on South Australian pitches.

"I just have to be ready to play," the 21-year-old said.

"If an opportunity opens up - whether it's for the first game or later on, because the pitch might suit me - I need to pounce on it.

"If I'm not playing, I just have to keep training hard, working on my game and helping the guys who are on the field."

Sangha and his Blues teammates found out they would be leaving on Wednesday, giving them 24 hours to get organised before flying out.

"It was a bit of a surprise how quickly it all unfolded and we had to get over there," Sangha said.

"But I know everyone is excited because we're all looking forward to playing some cricket. We're all ready to go."