The 24-year-old NSW paceman spent four years in the Sydney Thunder squad, but they ended up being the team he would face on debut as he took 3-28 in a 22-run Stars victory.
"It was nice, I spent a lot of years with those guys, so I knew their game and what they were going to try to do to me, which probably helped," Hatcher said.
"I was really happy to play against them first game and really happy to do my part and make sure we got one over them."
A former Australia U/19 player, Hatcher is a promising prospect who clocks speeds up to 140km/h. He made his Sheffield Shield debut earlier this year for NSW, before signing with Stars during the off-season.
"I've been here for a week and I already feel like I'm a part of this squad. All the quicks and all the coaching staff have been amazing to me," Hatcher said.
3-28 from 4 overs.
%E2%80%94 Melbourne Stars (@StarsBBL) December 12, 2020
Liam Hatcher's @BBL Debut = ✅ pic.twitter.com/JR23PxVG6o
"There's a sense of excitement as to what we can do this season and the Stars have been so successful over the last few years so to come into that is really exciting."
An injury to Dilbar Hussain during the Thunder match saw Hatcher asked to bowl some difficult overs, but he rose to the challenge and almost secured himself a debut hat-trick.
"I think I stayed pretty level and tried to execute what I do and just having clear plans, working with Maxi on that," Hatcher said.
"In T20, I just use my skill set with lots of yorkers and bouncers. It worked against the Thunder and hopefully I can keep it going throughout the tournament."
Hatcher and the Stars have now arrived in Launceston and are preparing for their next assignment against Perth Scorchers on Wednesday night.