Durham and New Zealand all-rounder Suzie Bates has been named the 2025 Vitality Blast Women’s Player of the Year, finishing atop the PCA’s MVP Rankings with 194.19 points. Bates becomes the first recipient of the award in the new Tier 1 era of women’s domestic cricket.
Bates edged out The Blaze’s Kathryn Bryce by just 0.92 points to win the award, which includes a £2,500 prize and a bespoke trophy presented by Mappin & Webb. The award is based on the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) Most Valuable Player Rankings, powered by OFX.
Suzie Bates leads run charts and MVP race
The 37-year-old Bates scored 439 runs at an average of 33.76 and a strike-rate of 121.27 to finish as the tournament’s leading run-scorer. She also contributed with the ball, taking four wickets, including best figures of 2-21.
The 2025 Women’s Vitality Blast concluded at the Kia Oval, where Surrey emerged champions after a five-wicket win over the Bears in the final. Bates, playing for Durham, had a consistent campaign, earning three Match MVP awards:
Vs Bears: 65 (41) and 2 wickets – 38.18 MVP points
Vs Lancashire Thunder: 49 runs and 2 wickets – 35.43 MVP points
Vs Somerset: 49 runs – 25.90 MVP points
Her top innings came against The Blaze, where she smashed 77 off 58 balls at the Riverside Stadium.
Kathryn Bryce and Grace Harris round out MVP podium
Kathryn Bryce of The Blaze, who won the Charlotte Edwards Cup Player of the Year in 2024, narrowly missed the top spot with 193.27 MVP points. The Scotland international scored 370 runs at an average of 41.11 and claimed 17 wickets—making her the third-highest wicket-taker in the Blast.
Grace Harris of Surrey rounded out the top three with 190.50 MVP points. The Australian all-rounder made a major impact with 334 runs at a staggering strike-rate of 157.54 and took 10 wickets.
PCA MVP Rankings bring new performance insights
The MVP formula, developed by the PCA and CricViz, measures expected performance on every ball and incorporates historical venue data for deeper analysis. This approach offers a more refined evaluation than traditional statistics.
Bates’ MVP victory puts her third in the Overall Women’s MVP standings, with Bryce in the lead at 334.96 points, followed by Emma Lamb of Lancashire with 309.72 points.
The race for the Overall MVP title and £7,500 prize continues when the Metro Bank One Day Cup resumes on Wednesday, July 30.
View the Women’s Domestic MVP Rankings.
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