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Who could break into the top 10 of the MVP after Ed Barnard’s 2025 win?
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With the men’s county season starting on Friday, the PCA highlights which players have a chance of rising up the men’s Domestic Overall MVP table and seriously challenging for a top 10 spot. The MVP is powered by OFX, the PCA’s Official FX Partner.
Ed Barnard rose from third place in the men’s Domestic Overall MVP 2024 to win the 2025 MVP, beating Sussex’s James Coles by fewer than eight points. Having improved his ranking every year since 2021 on his way to the title, the Warwickshire all-rounder won £10,000 and the coveted MVP trophy.
The MVP tables are updated live and in-game on the PCA website for the most accurate reflection of performance in the professional game in England and Wales.
With the margins so small and the stakes so high, we look at which players from each county have a chance to launch themselves up the men’s Domestic Overall MVP rankings in 2026.
Derbyshire – Luis Reece
Reece finished eighth in the 2023 MVP rankings with 462.30 points and backed it up by finishing 18th in 2025. His ability to open innings with both bat and ball and play across all formats is unique. If he continues to build on a strong couple of years, it is hard to see him not challenging for the top 10 in 2026.
Durham Men – Matthew Potts
Potts’ ability to bowl at any stage of a game with both red and white ball gives him a good chance of challenging this season. Finishing 58th in both 2025 and 2024, Potts’ international duties have impacted his domestic points tally in the past, but the more he plays for Durham, the more likely he is to race up the 2026 MVP table.
Essex Men – Charlie Allison
A leap from 340th in the table in 2024 to 95th in 2025 is testament to the breakthrough Allison made last season. The younger of the Allison brothers made his maiden First-Class century in May 2025, before adding two more in his next three red-ball games. The batter will hope to continue rising, both in the Essex ranks and the MVP table.
Glamorgan – Asa Tribe
Making the MVP top 50 for the first time was one of many barriers broken by Tribe last season. The Jersey-born batter received call-ups from England Lions and Paarl Royals in SA20 after a summer of runs for Glamorgan. Two unbeaten innings for the Lions – a century in Australia and a half-century against Pakistan Shaheens – were both signs that Tribe’s form is here to stay.
Gloucestershire – Ben Charlesworth
Having finished 30th in the 2025 MVP, Charlesworth will be hoping to kick on for Gloucestershire and target a higher finish this season. A 2025 season of 260.14 batting points and 73.53 bowling points show an all-round ability across formats that could see the left-handed batter seriously threaten to make the top 10 in 2026.
Hampshire Men – Toby Albert
A sixth place finish in the 2025 Vitality Blast MVP went a long way towards Albert’s 79th place finish in the overall MVP. His sparkling record in the shortest format was propelled further by an unbeaten 98 in July. Finding some consistency in the longer formats this season could see the top-order batter build on previous years and genuinely challenge in the MVP table.
Kent – Joey Evison
The seam-bowling all-rounder could prove a vital source of balance in a strong Kent lineup and will hope to better his 66th place finish from last season. With his 307.80 MVP points from 2025 including 122.89 batting points and 159.71 bowling points, the 24-year-old can clearly impact games, and the MVP table, with both bat and ball.
Lancashire Men – Ajeet Singh Dale
Having moved from Gloucestershire to Emirates Old Trafford over the winter, Singh Dale will be hoping to develop his strong cross-format game, particularly under his new red-ball captain, Sir Jimmy Anderson. A 163rd place finish last season is just a glimpse of what Singh Dale’s scorching pace can do, and, after a winter spent with the England Lions, he’ll be looking to better that in 2026.
Leicestershire Men – Ben Green
Another player to have just completed a move, Green has joined Leicestershire permanently after several loan deals, the first of which began in April 2024. He now leaves Somerset a Vitality Blast champion. Amassing 215.25 bowling points and 91.33 batting points in 2025, the seam-bowling all-rounder is an astute signing for the Foxes after their Rothesay County Championship Division Two triumph last season.
Middlesex – Luke Hollman
A top 20 finish in the 2025 Metro Bank One Day Cup MVP rankings was an indication of what Hollman can offer with both bat and ball when he performs. The leg-spinning all-rounder plays in all formats for Middlesex, and a run of form in 2026 could see him fly up the MVP table and improve on his numbers from recent years.
Northamptonshire – Calvin Harrison
The leg-spinning all-rounder has swapped Trent Bridge for the County Ground permanently after a season on loan at Northants. His 49th place finish in 2025 was composed of 94.39 batting points, 180.85 batting points and a whopping 67.20 fielding points. With his future secured at Northants, he will hope to climb the MVP rankings steadily for a long time to come.
Nottinghamshire – Farhan Ahmed
Like his older brother Rehan, Ahmed enters the season having won his Rothesay County Championship Division in 2025. As Nottinghamshire set out to defend their Division One title, the off-spinner’s development will surely be a priority across all formats. An U19 World Cup finalist, the 18-year-old will hope to accelerate his steady year-on-year progression up the MVP table and through the global cricketing ranks.
Somerset Men – James Rew
Having placed 36th in both 2024 and 2025, 22-year-old Rew already has 14 professional centuries to his name. His wicket-keeping earned him 64 fielding points last year, a useful addition to his 283.99 batting points. If Rew plays a full season for Somerset despite England rumours, he could present himself as a candidate for the MVP Team of the Year.
Surrey Men – Tom Lawes
Another fast-developing player who is yet to reach their potential in the MVP rankings, Lawes’ competency with both bat and ball make him a near certainty to better his previous MVP finishes. Having signed a contract with Sunrisers Leeds in this year’s Hundred, Lawes’ performances across formats could catalyse a strong finish in the MVP this season.
Sussex – Jack Carson
Sussex’s new List A captain, Carson’s off-spin and lower order runs could fire him up the MVP table. His maiden First-Class century and a match-winning half century in the Metro Bank One Day Cup showed his ability with the bat. If he can rediscover the bowling form that earned him 202.64 bowling points in 2024, he could be a genuine contender in the 2026 MVP.
Warwickshire Men – Chris Woakes
Ahead of his first English summer without international cricket since 2011, Woakes is surely a leading figure in this season’s MVP. The 37-year-old has 396 international wickets to his name in all formats, ten First-Class centuries and won the PCA Men’s Player of the Year in 2020. With a full domestic season at Edgbaston ahead, the all-rounder could be a candidate for the 2026 MVP Team of the Year.
Worcestershire – Ben Allison
The second Allison brother on the list, the 6ft 5in seam-bowler averaged 17.52 with the ball in List A cricket last season, as Worcestershire claimed the Metro Bank One Day Cup title. Securing a 63rd overall MVP finish in 2025, Allison’s 149.92 bowling points are just one side of his game – as his batting continues to develop so will his MVP performances.
Yorkshire Men – Matthew Revis
A 78th overall finish for Revis in 2025 saw him rack up 211.21 batting points, a huge increase from 43.83 and a 215th overall placing in 2024. With his seam-bowling another key aspect of his game and a Lions tour under his belt, the 24-year-old will certainly be a big player in the Yorkshire side, and perhaps in the MVP table.
Next week, the PCA will reveal MVP Players to Watch for the women’s game ahead of the start of the new season.
See the full PCA Men’s Domestic Overall MVP Rankings for 2025 here.
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