The Indian Premier League has seen some explosive debut performances by players over the years and the 2019 edition is proving to be no different with Alzarri Joseph becoming the latest to make his mark.
The West Indies pacer was handed his IPL debut on Saturday by the Mumbai Indians in their clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad. With Mumbai attempting to defend a modest total of 136, Joseph produced a display for the ages and ended with astonishing figures of 6-12 to lead his side to a 40-run win.
Here, we take a look at where the Caribbean pacer’s efforts rank among the best debut performances in the IPL.
David Wiese for RCB vs Mumbai Indians (2015)
4-33
Former South Africa all-rounder David Wiese.
Royal Challengers Bangalore shelled out nearly half a million (US$460,000) in the 2015 auction to secure the services of David Wiese and the South African all-rounder repaid that faith in him with a debut to remember.
Wiese dismissed Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard to finish with excellent figures of 4-33. The all-rounder’s impact was not just limited to the ball as he then followed it up with an unbeaten 25-ball 47 with the bat.
However, it still wasn’t enough to prevent a defeat for Bangalore with Mumbai emerging victorious by 18 runs.
Kevon Cooper for Rajasthan Royals vs KXIP (2012)
4-26
Cooper had an electric start to his Rajasthan stint.
Kevon Cooper had forged his reputation as a globetrotting medium-pace all-rounder who was tailor made for T20 cricket. The Windies man made his maiden IPL appearance for Rajasthan in the 2012 edition in the side’s home clash against Kings XI Punjab at Jaipur and put in a match-winning effort straight away.
With Rajasthan defending a total of 191, Cooper picked up 4-26 with the ball to trigger a top-order collapse for Punjab. His efforts saw the Royals ultimately go on to win the clash by 31 runs.
Shoaib Akhtar for KKR vs Delhi Daredevils (2008)
4-11
Akhtar put in a fiery display on his IPL debut.
While Pakistan players might no longer feature in the competition, they were all the rage in the inaugural edition in 2008 with express pacer Shoaib Akhtar one of the headline acts.
The ‘Rawalpindi Express’ had a sensational debut for Kolkata Knight Riders in their clash against Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) at Eden Gardens. Batting first, Kolkata could only muster 133-6 but they came roaring back with the ball and Akhtar wreaking havoc.
The Pakistan pacer dismissed Gautam Gambhir, AB de Villiers, Virender Sehwag and Manoj Tiwary inside the powerplay itself to set up a 23-run win for the hosts.
Andrew Tye for Gujarat Lions vs RPS (2017)
5-17
Australian seamer Andrew Tye.
The Australia seamer finished as the Purple Cap holder in the 2018 edition with 24 wickets but it was in the previous year that he first announced himself in the competition.
Tye made his IPL debut in 2017 in a clash between the now defunct teams of Gujarat Lions and Rising Pune Super Giants. Playing for Gujarat, Tye bamboozled Pune with his variations and picked up a five-wicket haul in no time.
His figures of 5-17 which included the big wicket of Ben Stokes helped Gujarat restrict Pune to 171 and they had no trouble chasing down the target with seven wickets to spare.
Alzarri Joseph for Mumbai Indians vs SRH (2019)
6-12
Alzarri Joseph picked up six wickets on IPL debut. Image: BCCI/SPORTZPICS.
The 22-year-old pacer would have found chances hard to come by if not for Lasith Malinga’s departure to Sri Lanka to take part in a domestic tournament. Joseph, though, made the most of his opportunity in Malinga’s absence to help Mumbai pull off a stunning win against a Sunrisers outfit who were in scary form.
With just a modest total of 136 to defend, Joseph made a fairytale start to his IPL career by dismissing the dangerous David Warner with his very first delivery. That was just the start of things to come with the pacer subsequently sending back Vijay Shankar and Deepak Hooda before running through the Hyderabad tail.
Joseph is the only bowler in IPL history to have picked up six wickets in his maiden outing. Only two other bowlers – Sohail Tanvir and Adam Zampa – have picked up six-wicket hauls in the IPL previously.
