Kiel was born to a Jewish family in Vrede, Orange Free State, but moved to Cape Town at the age of seven following his father's death.
[5] With the Currie Cup suspended at the time, Western Province's season consisted of two sets of three games, played at home in December 1939 and in the coastal cities of Durban, East London, and Port Elizabeth in March 1940.
[6] Opening with Pieter van der Bijl on debut against Griqualand West, Kiel recorded a golden duck, bowled by Alfred Waddington.
In that match, he came close to carrying his bat in Western Province's second innings, with his captain, Andrew Ralph, declaring at 236/8 when Kiel was undefeated on 128.
[9] Kiel retired from cricket at the age of 30 to further his medical career, interning at Somerset Hospital before establishing a family practice in Sea Point.