Premier League darts announcement LIVE: Full line-up REVEALED as Luke Littler leads the way but two World Champs AXED
THE PREMIER League Darts line-up has now been CONFIRMED - and two former world champions have been AXED from the competition
Tournament holder and new world champ Luke Littler will be looking to retain the title he won during his unprecedented first 12 months in the sport.
Littler will compete in the 17-week extravaganza alongside some of the sport's biggest names, including Michael van Gerwen and World No1 Luke Humphries.
But TWO former world champs have been brutally AXED from the star-studded eight-man field.
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At the double
Van Gerwen 3-2 Dobey (2-0 in sets)
Dobey with a 106 average in this set.
And a 121 puts him in a commanding position - needing 96.
But he leaves double tops and tempts MVG into going for the Big Fish.
Van Gerwen doesn't make it, leaving 74.
Amazingly, Dobey misses both double 10 and double 5.
MVG nicks the leg with double 16 and the set!
Van Gerwen 2-2 Dobey (1-0 in sets)
Lovely darts from Dobey.
Hollywood sets himself up with 48, which he secures with a double 16.
We're level again.
Van Gerwen 2-1 Dobey (1-0 in sets)
Can Dobey deny MVG a shot at tops?
No! He's the bull away from a 126 checkout!
MVG returns to seal the leg.
Van Gerwen 1-1 Dobey (1-0 in sets)
Dobey has a free go at 70 because MVG couldn't finish - leaving 84.
But Dobey doesn't get the bullseye.
MVG breaks straight back! Double 12 does it.
Van Gerwen 0-1 Dobey (1-0 in sets)
Dobey may have missed double 16.
But he's back to break MVG, and he finds in at the second time of asking.
13-darter for Dobey. The standard is so high from both players.
Current stats
Van Gerwen 3-1 Dobey (1-0 in sets)
MVG has powered down to 75.
This is amazing scoring from the Dutch legend.
Single 18 for tops, and he takes the first set. He's stormed through that.
An average of close to 104 too.
Van Gerwen 2-1 Dobey (0-0 in sets)
That's a settler for Dobey.
Double 4 gets him his first leg in the match.
MVG was out on 170.
Van Gerwen 2-0 Dobey (0-0 in sets)
26 darts thrown, two legs won!
MVG is coming out the traps flying.
Double tops puts him over the line. Impressive start.
Van Gerwen 1-0 Dobey (0-0 in sets)
Hollywood throws first, but it's MVG on his first three darts who smashes in the 180.
The Dutchman follows it with a 140. He's on the attack!
He's down to 88, with Dobey on 62.
But he misses the bullseye for a 12-dart start.
Dobey can't find the double tops, though, so Gerwen hits nine, then finds the double 8 with his final dart in hand.
The walk-ins
Watch him wreck the mic!
Chris Dobey walks in to his familiar to PJ & Duncan (AKA Ant & Dec) anthem, 'Let's Gear Ready to Rumble' anthem.
The PDC dancers love it, as do the crowd.
Now it's MVG... White Stripes plays, his fans sing 'Oh, Michael Van Gerwen...'
The atmosphere is amazing.
How the semi-finalists compare
Each and every one of them has had a brilliant tournament so far.
Here's how they compare.
Doing the rounds on X
Many moons go Bunting and Littler were hoping to make their name in the darts world.
This brilliant throwback snap is making the rounds on X.
Look how young they both look! Apparently, it was five years ago - Littler was 12, Bunting was 34.
Latest odds
Chris Dobey vs Michael van Gerwen:
- Chris Dobey – 2/1
- Michael van Gerwen – 2/5
*Odds provided by
Stephen Bunting vs Luke Littler:
- Stephen Bunting – 15/4
- Luke Littler – 1/6
*Odds provided by
Littler's route to the final
Luke Littler has hit 51 180s so far at the World Darts Championship this year, more than any other player.
Here is how he reached tonight's semi-final.
3-1 Ryan Meikle (R2)
4-1 Ian White (R3)
4-3 Ryan Joyce (L16)
5-2 Nathan Aspinall (QF)
vs Stephen Bunting (SF)
Credit: Rex Tonight's semi-final schedule
So it's Michael van Gerwen vs Chris Dobey kicking us off from 7.40pm tonight.
And then Luke Littler vs Stephen Bunting follows to headline what stands to be a thrilling evening.
Both games will be the best of 11 sets. We can't wait!
Credit: PA 30 minute klaxon
In just over half an hour we'll be up and running in the first semi-final of the night - Michael van Gerwen vs Chris Dobey.
MVG is a three-time champ but has not won the Ally Pally prize in five years now since 2019.
While Dobey is at the highest he's ever been at the Worlds, and has been in some form so far.
Credit: PA Littler doesn't practise
Luke Littler revealed that he doesn't practise during off days... preferring to play on his Nintendo Switch instead.
Littler is facing Stephen Bunting in mere hours at Ally Pally, but said after his win over Nathan Aspinall last night he doesn't play on his days off.
He said: "I like this, you play, you go to sleep, you wake up and you're on again.
"I don't really like having days off because I don't practise.
"So I know that I'll be back on tomorrow and I'll be up for it again."
Asked if he had his Nintendo Switch with him, Littler grinned as he replied: "I have."
Credit: PA Price's ear problem
Gerwyn Price has been battling a "nightmare" ear problem - but said he is "too busy" to sort it out.
The Welshman was knocked out of the World Darts Championship in the quarter-finals after losing 5-3 to Chris Dobey - who faces Michael van Gerwen TONIGHT.
But Price actually revealed in the build up to the match that he was suffering a nasty ear problem.
He told the : "It feels like I have been in a swimming pool of water. It’s frustrating.
"I pop my ears and it feels fine. It’s a nightmare, It's doing my head in. I’ve been taking antibiotics for a week and they are not working.
"It feels like I have been in a swimming pool of water. It’s frustrating. I pop my ears and it feels fine. Two minutes later, I have to do it again.";
Credit: Getty Premier League of Darts latest
Three former world champions face missing the cut for the Premier League Darts roster following their horror oche shows.
The PDC will announce soon their eight-person line-up for the 17-week Road Show, which takes in seven countries and climaxes at London’s O2 Arena on Thursday May 29.
Defending champion Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Rob Cross and Stephen Bunting are set to be involved.
That leaves three places up for grabs and the likes of Michael Smith, Gerwyn Price and Peter Wright might all be absent due to poor 2024 campaigns.
Credit: Rex
Littler's the top Drog
Luke Littler showcased a new celebration last night after winning a quickfire first set against Nathan Aspinall.
And for the Man Utd fan, it was a tribute to Chelsea legend Didier Drogba - who Littler knows from FIFA.
He said: "It was. My mate's been pestering me for months and months to do it. Yeah, it was from FIFA.
"He was in the crowd tonight and when I was walking off he did the celebration and I looked at him and I did it."
Credit: AP Bunting's song change
Stephen Bunting will have Ally Pally in raptures in just a couple of hours with the familiar strains of David Guetta's Titanium.
But it wasn't always his walk-on song.
Before Bunting used to walk out to Bird Is The Word by The Trashmen, which grew in fame thanks to it being on Family Guy.
Since then, Bunting has admitted that the links to Family Guy had ''affected" his game.
During a discussion with Wayne Mardle on Club 501, he explained: ''The Bird Is The Word, I got paid a lot of money to change my walk on to that.
"It was all well and good at the time but I was more nervous in thinking more about the walk-on than I was about playing.
''So, it sort of affected my game."
Credit: PA Ballon d'Art leaderboard
The question on everyone's lips as we enter the semi-finals tonight, who is leading the Ballon d'Art leaderboard.
The Ballon d'Art leaderboard is for the most 180s in the tournament.
Last year, tournament winner Luke Humphries took the prize with 73 maximums.
Here is how we are faring to far up to tonight's semi-finals:
- Luke Littler - 51
- Callan Rydz - 43
- Chris Dobey - 36
- Michael van Gerwen - 35
Littler vs Bunting follows
Littler has reached his second successive final in just two years competing at the Ally Pally.
Bunting, 39, is in his second ever worlds semi as well after getting to this same stage in 2021.
The pair will clash tonight for the chance to reach the final, where they will play either Van Gerwen or Dobey.
Littler vs Bunting will get underway at approximately 9.30pm GMT tonight, depending on how long Van Gerwen vs Dobey goes on for.
Credit: Reuters
