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West Indies gun Andre Russell will be keen to improve his output, especially with ball in hand, after enduring mixed fortunes on his Melbourne Stars debut.

Melbourne Stars teammates are tipping a stronger contribution from Andre Russell when the boom recruit returns to his old stomping ground this weekend.

West Indies gun Russell made the first of five planned appearances for the Stars in a tense four-run win over his former club Sydney Thunder at the MCG on Friday night, scoring 17 off nine balls in a brief cameo with the bat.

The 33-year-old then also coughed up 0-40 from four overs as the Stars' most expensive bowler.

Russell gets another chance to impress when the Stars meet the same opponents again on Sunday in Sydney, where the Jamaican spent three seasons with the Thunder.

"There's no doubt he's a world-class white-ball player - he's amazing," Stars batter Nick Larkin said.

"We're so excited to see what he can do for us."

Russell and fellow import Qais Ahmad were operating in difficult circumstances in their Stars debuts, flying into Melbourne just hours before the match.

They had both served 72 hours quarantine and were ordered to keep two metres clear of other players where possible throughout the contest.

The unusual instruction was part of their four-day BBL integration period, which falls under Cricket Australia's COVID-19 protocols.

It also takes in Sunday's fixture, with Russell and Ahmad to board a separate flight to Sydney and keep away from their teammates before the match.

"Those two are such seasoned cricketers that they're just turning up and getting on with their business," Larkin said.

"We knew well in advance that was going to be the case and everyone is so focused on keeping their own backyard in order, so you don't really have time to stress out about what your teammates are doing.

"You just trust that they're going to get the job done."

Larkin was named player of the match on Friday, top-scoring with an unbeaten 52 off 43 in the Stars' first win of the season.

He and Hilton Cartwright (42 off 30) put on an 80-run stand for the fourth wicket to ensure the Stars posted a competitive total.

Larkin said Russell's presence further down the order had given the pair confidence to play aggressively and will continue to do so going forward.

"Hilton and I looked at each other at about the 12th over and said, 'Let's go'," Larkin said.

"We knew we had Dre-Russ coming in next and it gives you a bit of freedom to play the shots you want to play."

Both the Stars and Thunder have 1-1 records heading into Sunday's clash.