Premier League Darts 2025: Luke Littler to defend title as Stephen Bunting among wildcard selection in eight-man field | News about darts
Stephen Bunting will return to the BetMGM Premier League for the first time in a decade after being selected as one of four alternate picks for the biggest darts show.
Bunting was chosen along with Gerwyn Price, Nathan Aspinall and Chris Dobey to complete the eight-man field for the competition, which starts in Belfast on February 6.
They join the automatically qualified top four on the PDC Order of Merit, the newly crowned world champions and the reigning Premier League champions Luke Littlerworld number 1 Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen and Rob Cross.
Bunting is the highest-ranked non-automatic player in the world at No.5, with a sensational year on the course as ‘The ‘Bullet’ made a run to the semi-finals of the World Darts Championship and also finished second in the 2024 PDC Players Championship Series Order of Merit.
‘Hollywood’ Dobey also reached the semi-finals of the World Darts Championship before losing to Michael van Gerwen, and has made it three wins in the Players Championship during 2024.
Meanwhile, Aspinall and Price reached the quarter-finals of the World Championship, with the latter reaching three semi-finals on the European Tour.
Among the big names that were missed out on the selection were the world number 6 Dave Chisnallworld champion 2023 Michael Smithand world number 7 and Premier League champion in 2021 Jonny Clayton.
Former world champions Peter Wright and Gary Anderson are also missing out, and the former will miss out on the Premier League for the first time since 2013.
Mike De Decker becomes the first World Grand Prix Champion to miss out on a place in the Premier League a year after taking that title.
“Obviously with Price, Dobey and Aspinall, there are players above them in the rankings who haven’t been selected, but we’ve been looking at it in terms of big stage presence, popularity and how they can get a crowd of 10,000 every Ida on Thursday,” he said. PDC CEO Matt Porter Sky Sports.
“We want people on the edge of their seats. We want people to get up and enjoy darts.
“That doesn’t mean other players can’t do it. You have to decide who is right at that moment.”
The matches take place every Thursday evening between February and May and are played at various venues across the UK, Ireland and Europe – with stops in Germany and the Netherlands.
Since 2022, the format has been an elimination bracket at each event, with each of the eight players meeting once in the first round in weeks 1-7 and then again in weeks 9-15, while the draws for weeks 8 and 16 are based to the league standings.
After week 16, the top four in the table compete for the semi-finals and final at the O2 in London. The former plays fourth and the latter plays third in the best-of-19 leg semifinals before the best-of-21 leg final.
Meet the stars of the Premier League 2025:
Luke Humphries
PDC Order of Merit: 1
Last year: Runner-up (2024)
PL best: Runner-up (2024)
Walking Song: ‘I predict a rebellion’ by the Kaiser Chiefs
Luke Littler
PDC Order of Merit: 2
Last year: Winner
PL best: Winner (2024)
Walk to the song: ‘Greenlight’ by Pitbull featuring Flo Rida and LunchMoney Lewis
Michael van Gerwen
PDC Order of Merit: 3
Last year: Semi-final
PL best: Winner (2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023)
Walk to the song: ‘Seven Nation Army’ by The White Stripes
Rob Cross
PDC Order of Merit: 4
Last year: 6
PL best: Runner-up (2019)
Walk to the song: ‘Hot Hot Hot’ by Arrow
Stephen Bunting
PDC Order of Merit: 5
Last year: DNP
PL best: 8. (2015)
Walk to the song: ‘Titanium’ by David Guetta
Gerwyn Price
PDC Order of Merit: 9
Last year: 7
PL best: Runner-up (2023)
Walk to the song: ‘Ice Ice Baby’ by Vanilla Ice
Chris Dobey
PDC Order of Merit: 10
Last year: DNP
PL best: 7. (2023)
Walk to the song: ‘Let’s Get Ready to Rumble’ – PJ & Duncan
Nathan Aspinall
PDC Order of Merit: 11
Last year: 5
PL best: Runner-up (2020)
Walk to the song: ‘Mr Brightside’ by The Killers
BetMGM Premier League 2025 Schedule
- Night 1 – SSE Arena, Belfast – Thursday 6 February
- Night 2 – OVO Hydro, Glasgow – Thursday 13 February
- Night 3 – 3Arena, Dublin – Thursday 20 February
- Night 4 – Westpoint Exeter – Thursday 27 February
- Night 5 – Brighton Center – Thursday 6 March
- Night 6 – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham – Thursday 13 March
- Night 7 – Utilita Arena, Cardiff – Thursday 20 March
- Night 8 – Utilita Arena, Newcastle – Thursday 27 March
- Night 9 – Uber Arena, Berlin – Thursday, April 3
- Night 10 – AO Arena, Manchester – Thursday 10 April
- Night 11 – Rotterdam Ahoy, Rotterdam – Thursday, April 17
- Night 12 – M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool – Thursday 24th April
- Night 13 – Utilita Arena, Birmingham, Thursday 1 May
- Night 14 – First Direct Arena, Leeds – Thursday 8 May
- Night 15 – P&J Live, Aberdeen – Thursday 15th May
- Night 16 – Utilita Arena, Sheffield – Thursday 22 May
- Play-offs – O2, London – Thursday, May 29
Watch Premier League Darts on Sky Sports
Watch all the action from Premier League on Sky Sports with Luke Littler wants to defend his title. The new Premier League season will kick off in Belfast on Thursday 6 February as darts’ biggest party returns to an unchanged line-up of 17 venues across the UK and Europe.
Who will win the Premier League Darts? Watch all the action on Sky Sports. Stream darts and more top sports with NOW.
