Craig Overton and Sophie Luff win top PCA player awards

Craig Overton and Sophie Luff won the men's and women's Player of the Year awards at the Professional Cricketers' Association ceremony in London on Wednesday, 30 September. The Somerset teammates took the two headline prizes after seasons that also earned them places in the PCA's domestic teams of the year.

The BBC reported the results from the ceremony at Exhibition White City. Overton was named the Toyota PCA Men's Player of the Year, while Luff won the Toyota PCA Women's Player of the Year. Their wins followed shortlists selected by fellow players, according to the PCA's pre-ceremony announcement.

Craig Overton's season across formats

Overton had already won the PCA Men's Domestic Overall MVP and the County Championship Player of the Year award, the association's results list shows. Its men's team announcement placed him in the 2026 XI as captain, alongside three other nominees for the headline men's prize. Those earlier distinctions describe his domestic season; the Player of the Year result was announced at the 30 September ceremony.

The PCA recorded 951 runs and 76 wickets for Overton across his appearances for Somerset and Trent Rockets, with 680.08 domestic MVP points. It also said he finished top of its MVP bowling table with 352.05 bowling points. Those figures cover domestic competitions and give a broader measure of his contribution than his County Championship bowling record alone.

Overton prevailed over Joe Clarke, George Hill and Dan Lawrence on the men's shortlist. According to the BBC, he called recognition by his peers ‘very special’ and said he had found a mental rhythm that helped him perform through a demanding schedule. The BBC also reported discussion of a possible England recall, four years after the last of his eight Test appearances; no selection was announced as part of the awards.

Sophie Luff's runs and new opening role

Luff scored 1,052 domestic runs, including 536 in the One Day Cup, according to the PCA's women's team announcement. Its shortlist report put her One Day Cup average at 41.23 and recorded three half-centuries and two centuries in that competition. She also played for the Trent Rockets side that won The Hundred, the PCA said.

The Somerset captain was selected in the PCA Women's Team of the Year for the second time, following her 2021 inclusion. The PCA assigned her 341 MVP points in its 2026 team announcement. That XI is selected from domestic performances using MVP rankings, while the headline Player of the Year award followed the player vote described in the shortlists announcement.

Luff beat fellow women's award nominees Maia Bouchier, Sophia Dunkley and Mady Villiers. The BBC said she was the first winner of the women's prize since 2021 who had not played international cricket. Speaking after the award, Luff credited a move to opening the batting for Somerset and said she felt she had ‘unlocked something’ in her game.

How the PCA assessed the domestic seasons

The PCA says its domestic MVP rankings assess batting, bowling, fielding and contributions that shape matches across competitions, using an algorithm developed by CricViz. Those rankings informed its teams of the year. The association said the men's XI was balanced by role rather than simply taking the 11 highest-ranked players; its women's announcement likewise said the highest points scorers were not automatically selected.

The distinction matters for the two winners: Overton's MVP standing and Luff's team selection provide season context, while their headline awards recognise the results announced at the London ceremony. Before that event, the PCA had named both among four finalists in their respective Player of the Year categories. Its shortlist announcement said players across England and Wales had voted for the performers who impressed them over the preceding 12 months.

Other awards announced in London

The BBC reported that Sonny Baker won the men's Young Player of the Year award and Tilly Corteen-Coleman won the women's equivalent. It also reported an Outstanding Contribution Award for former England captain Heather Knight and an ECB Special Merit Award for Tammy Beaumont. Those honours formed part of the same ceremony, but the headline player awards went to Overton and Luff.

For Somerset, the two headline winners represent both its men's and women's sides. Overton's award follows a season in which Somerset narrowly missed a first County Championship title and reached the T20 Blast semi-finals, according to the BBC. Luff's domestic run tally and her opening-batting role were central to the account of her own season. The awards establish their recognition by the PCA; the reported possibility of an England recall for Overton remains a separate, unresolved question.