Premier League darts line-up revealed as Luke Littler in but two world champions AXED
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Luke Littler will have a chance to follow up his World Darts Championship success by defending his Premier League title, but big names Michael Smith and Peter Wright won't be involved. Littler, 17, beat Luke Humphries in the 2024 Premier League final. The teenager, who was beaten to the world title by Humphries in January 2024, then returned to Ally Pally to claim a stunning victory over Michael van Gerwen in the 2025 showpiece.
Humphries and Van Gerwen will join Littler in the 2025 edition of the Premier League, thanks to their PDC Order of Merit rankings. They will be joined by Rob Cross, who sits fourth on the list at the time of the announcement. Littler and Cross were chosen as wildcards for last year's competition, and this year those slots have gone to losing World Championship semi-finalists Stephen Bunting and Chris Dobey, along with Nathan Aspinall and Gerwyn Price. This means former world champions Smith and Wright, both of whom took part in 2024, will miss out on a shot at the million pound prize fund.
The Premier League format sees players take part in 16 weekly tournaments, earning points and prize money along the way. The first of these is scheduled for Belfast on February 6, with the remaining weeks spread across the UK, Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands.
Those with the most points after 16 weeks will progress to the play-offs, which take place at the end of May in London. Weekly winners will take home £10,000, but the big money is on the line at the play-off stage, with last year's winner Littler bagging a huge £275,000 payday.
