Joseph recorded the best figures in IPL history - 6 for 12 - on his tournament debut. © AFP

IPL debutant Alzarri Joseph, who recorded the best bowling figures in the tournament's 12-year history with his 6 for 12 in Mumbai Indians' 40-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad, said he could not have asked for a better start to his career in the league.

Joseph, 22, became only the second bowler in IPL history to claim a fifer on debut, after Andrew Tye. He not only went on to register the best bowling figures for three-time champions Mumbai, but also re-wrote the record for the tournament's best figures - surpassing Sohail Tanveer's 6 for 14 in the inaugural edition - to create history. All of that in his maiden game in the competition.

"It's unbelievable. It's a dream start. I don't think it could get any better," Joseph told his captain Rohit Sharma in an interview for iplt20.com after helping Mumbai take down a second pre-tournament favourite in as many games.

After a lukewarm start to the 12th edition of the league, Mumbai recorded their third win by successfully defending 136 against the in-form Sunrisers batting line-up on a sticky wicket in Hyderabad on Saturday (April 6).

Joseph said, the moment he found out he will be making his debut, he just wanted it to give his all to the team. "I just wanted to go out and put all my effort into this team," the Caribbean pacer who replaced veteran Lasith Malinga in the playing eleven, told media after the victory. "It was my first game, I just wanted to get out there on the park and get bowling and get the wickets."

The IPL really could not have begun in a better fashion for the 22-year-old who bowled David Warner off an inside edge with his very first delivery in the league. Barring obliging to the customary high-fives from his teammates, Joseph just stayed there, stone-faced, for a debutant who'd just claimed the wicket of the edition's current Orange Cap holder. Joseph said he trusted his preparation while running in to bowl to the Sunrisers skipper, and saved his celebrations for until after he'd helped his team win the game.

"I don't really celebrate wickets, I celebrate wins. My aim isn't just to get wickets, but to win the game for my team," Joseph said.

He went on to claim the wicket of Vijay Shankar in his following over, the seventh of SRH's innings, and then returned in the death overs to add four more to his tally to make it a record-shattering debut. Despite hogging all limelight, the Antiguan said he's focussed on doing well for the team rather than revel in personal glory.

"It's not something I really play for. I only play for wins, not the limelight. It's a good feeling but I want to win this tournament [for Mumbai Indians]."

Prior to boarding the flight to Mumbai, Joseph admittedly didn't seek advice from any of the large plethora of Caribbean stars, many of them now veterans in the league already. However, he does have a plan for the man he'll be up against next, and who is regarded amongst IPL's GOATs, Chris Gayle. "Just bowl fast."