Tim Seifert starred against Afghanistan at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in the T20 World Cup 2026, powering New Zealand to victory in their opening match of the campaign.
While chasing a target of 183, Tim Seifert opened the innings for New Zealand. They lost two wickets in the second over, as Mujeeb Ur Rahman removed Finn Allen and Rachin Ravindra. However, Seifert stayed calm and built a 74 run partnership along with Glenn Phillips. He then added another 36 runs with Mark Chapman. Seifert scored 65 off 42 balls, including seven fours and three sixes, at a strike rate of 154.76.
His innings helped New Zealand make a strong comeback after being 14/2 at one stage. When Seifert was dismissed, the score was 124/4 in the 13th over. Later, with support from Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner, New Zealand won the match by five wickets with 13 balls remaining. Seifert’s innings played a crucial role, and he was named Player of the Match.
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Tim Seifert has been in impressive form. In 2025, he scored 1645 runs in 55 innings at an average of 33.57 and a strike rate of 148.86, with two centuries and five half centuries. He finished the year as the fourth highest run scorer in the calendar year. Before the World Cup, he scored a half century in the T20I series against India.
Earlier, in the BBL 2025–26, he scored 285 runs in 10 matches while playing for the Melbourne Renegades. In the CPL, he scored 396 runs in 10 innings. Overall, he has been in very good form. In T20Is since the start of 2025, he has scored 727 runs in 21 innings at an average of 45.43.
This is a good sign for KKR ahead of IPL 2026 that Seifert has been in good form. This T20 World Cup can be seen as an audition for him, as he is playing on similar pitches to those that will be used in the IPL next month. It could also turn into a direct competition between Seifert and Finn Allen, as only one of them can open for KKR, with Cameron Green, Sunil Narine, and Matheesha Pathirana already likely to be part of the playing XI.
If he is included in the playing XI, he could give KKR a fast start in the powerplay. With a batting friendly pitch and short boundaries at Eden Gardens, he could play an important role at the top of the order.
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