Albury-Wodonga hosting the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander T20 Cup

Sydney Thunder and Sydney Sixers are this year joined in the tournament by Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades.

"The significance of this is massive," Thunder captain James Whiting said.

"We get to be around the mob and experience new cricketing talent. It's a big part of my calendar.

"You don't often get to meet new people from the Aboriginal culture, not travelling interstate much, so it's a very big thing for us."

The first games were played on Tuesday and there's a cultural immersion activity at Wonga Wetlands on Wednesday evening.

"I'm proud to represent a great club like the Sydney Sixers as well as my heritage," Brett Russell said.

"I'm from the NSW North Coast, which is the Dunghutti land, and to play with and against people from all over the state and Victoria, it's a great event to be part of."

The tournament was postponed twice because of COVID but Cricket NSW regional manager Jerim Hayes was determined to go ahead when restrictions allowed.

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"We're thrilled to have the players come together, compete and share their experiences," Hayes said.

"Connection is a big thing and at Cricket NSW, we're all about that diversity and different cultures.

"We all come from different areas but we connect through cricket."

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