Tim Seifert 2.0 can bat anywhere and everywhere

Since July 2024, New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter Tim Seifert has been living out of a suitcase, enjoying stints in eight different T20 leagues around the world besides playing for the Black Caps. From Galle in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) to Guyana in the Caribbean Premier League, in which his team have got to the elimination stage, Seifert has stamped his authority in different parts of the world.

Weeks or months of play-sleep-travel-repeat can be challenging but Seifert has embraced it. He is now gearing up to bring home back-to-back CPL titles for St Lucia Kings.

"Yeah, I have enjoyed it [being a T20 globetrotter]," Seifert says before the CPL knockouts. "It can be a bit tough on the family at times as well, being away for so much. But it's also good to bring them away on certain tours. On the whole, it's been great. Not only T20 competitions but international cricket as well with the Black Caps."

When Seifert burst onto the international scene in 2018, he was billed as the next Brendon McCullum. Like McCullum, he was adept at charging at bowlers and playing a number of funky shots, including the reverse sweep and scoop.

McCullum himself was so impressed with Seifert that he brought him into the Trinbago Knight Riders team when he was their head coach in 2020. Seifert was part of the TKR side that enjoyed an unbeaten run to the CPL title that season, and he also had a spell as New Zealand's main keeper-batter, but he needed a bit more time to mature.

That growth was achieved by playing T20 cricket around the world. Seifert has expanded his range of shots in the past 14 months, and more specifically in this CPL, he has emerged as the best spin-hitter. He has smashed 200 off 103 balls from spinners at a strike rate of 194.17 - the highest among batters who have faced at least 50 balls of spin in this edition. It's not common for an opening batter to be this proficient against spinners in spin-friendly conditions, and only highlights Seifert's rise as an all-weather T20 batter.

"No matter how good you are, you're always looking to grow as a player," Seifert says. "But most importantly, you're learning. And one of these great opportunities that these [T20] tournaments give you is that you play with the world's best players and learn from them and be in the same dressing room as well away from the guys back home in New Zealand.

"When I first joined TKR, I think that was my first franchise competition. That was amazing. Not only to be coached by McCullum but to be in the same dressing room as the likes of [Kieron] Pollard, [Nicholas] Pooran and then [Andre] Russell. The CPL is not an easy place to come to, from an overseas point of view, for your first couple of years, but I've learnt off those guys, and with the Kings as well. Now into my fifth season at the CPL."

Seifert 2.0 can take down mystery spin too. When his former team, TKR, threw Sunil Narine and Akeal Hosein at him in the powerplay in Tarouba, he took 36 off 17 balls from them. He could have opted to sit back and play them out in what was a modest chase, but Seifert was keen to throw the first punch.

"They are some of the best spinners in the world. Especially Narine, I rate him probably as one of the best spinners in the world still. But yeah, because we bowled first, we knew what the wicket was. I was hoping to get off to a good start and make the run chase easier. One thing I've tried to be working on is not try to think of Narine bowling at you. It's just trying to watch the ball and reacting.

"I've always had the square game - my hockey background helps me play those sweeps. I think over the past, those used to be my go-to shots. But now it's actually just trying to pick the right times, right conditions, right situations of the games to play those shots. And if you are on a good wicket, you can look to hit straight more often. Batting against spin has definitely been one of my areas of focus over the last two years and it's paying off."

Last month Seifert reached his zenith against Antigua and Barbuda Falcons at home in Gros Islet, when he cracked a 40-ball century, drawing level with Russell for the fastest in the league. He finished with an unbeaten 125 off 53 balls, the highest score by an overseas player and second-highest overall in the CPL. Seifert rates that innings as "one of the best knocks" in his career.

"I just want to go out there and do my thing. Obviously, we were chasing 200 [205]," Seifert says. "Probably when I got to about 80-odd, I said: right, when it's your day, make it your day and finish the job for the team. And I wanted to make sure I was there at the end, being that batter that helped win the game for the team rather than getting out on 80 and making someone else come in and finish the game. So that was probably one of my biggest ticks from that knock: getting the job done."

Seifert, like most New Zealanders, isn't too big on celebrations, but on the day he broke into a hop dance. What was the story there?

"I don't think I did it right. (laughs) There's a dance that's going quite viral in St Lucia at the moment. One of the local artists has done the song and that's the dance move for that song. We had a promotion at a street party the night before and that was the move. Everyone was doing it. I didn't even think about it, leading into it. It just happened in the moment and everyone has loved it so far."

When Seifert joined Kings in 2024, he was picked as a like-for-like replacement for Heinrich Klaasen. But this season, after Faf du Plessis was sidelined from the tournament, Kings bumped Seifert up to the top, where he has been more destructive, scoring 338 runs in eight innings at an average of 48.28 and strike rate of 178.83. In the CPL alone, Seifert has batted at positions ranging from No. 1 to No. 7, which makes him an exciting T20 package.

"In domestic cricket [at Northern Districts], I started in the middle order as a wicketkeeper. My coach Gareth Hopkins chucked me up to the top and I've done well since," he says. "It's one of those positions where it's nice to bat at the top but there's also a chance to bat in the middle order and I think it makes it good from a squad point of view if you can cover all areas."

Besides losing du Plessis, who captained them to their first title, last season, Kings are also without spinner Noor Ahmad (away on Hundred and Afghanistan duty) and seamer Matthew Forde (injured), but they have filled those holes. Seifert credits coach Daren Sammy with keeping the dressing room focused and happy.

"Daren's been amazing. He's got this group running well over the years. I can only talk from the last two years being here, but the environment's great fun. We're having a good laugh off the field, but when we're coming to the cricket point of view, we're having some great meetings and cricket conversations. We're taking that out to the field."

In the 12 completed seasons of the CPL, only TKR have managed to become back-to-back champions. With Seifert in top form and Sammy at the helm, Kings now have a chance to become the second team to get there.

"I's always a team's goal to go back-to-back," Seifert said. "But one good thing that we've done here at the Kings this year is focus on just about one game at a time. I think we have great experience from last year. A lot of the team was here. It's a great vibe in the camp, and hopefully we can go all the way."

For Seifert there's also the bigger picture of the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, another part of the world where he has had T20 success. He was the highest run-getter in the 2024 LPL, and more recently he won IPL 2025 with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, though as a reserve player.

"Yeah, [the T20 World Cup is on my mind], but I have to make the World Cup squad first. No matter where you're playing in the world, it's about adapting to the conditions, understanding what shots are going to be easier than others. India can produce some very, very nice T20 wickets as well, so the difference between a good wicket and a not-so-good wicket does occur in India, and you have to adapt.

"Same in Sri Lanka. As a batter you just have to adapt and assess as fast as you can on those wickets. And hopefully you can bounce off the past experience of playing spin."

If things go to plan, Seifert could be opening in the T20 World Cup next year along with Finn Allen, another powerful batter who has gained experience by playing T20s around the world. During their brief stint at the top, Seifert and Allen were dubbed "New Zealand's Bash Brothers".

"Chris Lynn and Brendon McCullum are the OGs, but I won't say no to the 'Bash Brothers' after those two guys," Seifert laughs. "It has been great fun opening the batting with Finn. We're great mates off the field as well, so to spend that time with one of your best mates, it's fun. We just look to try and throw the first punch and put the pressure on the bowlers."

One half of the new Bash Brothers or not, Seifert has surely evolved into a versatile T20 batter.