ANALYSIS | How close would race to Premier League Darts play-offs really be under the old format?

The Premier League season is slowly drawing to a close—and perhaps so is the era of the current format. Both players and fans are criticizing the setup more and more. Week after week, we see virtually the same matchups, and many viewers now find the format tired. Especially fans who also follow the Pro Tour or European Tour are calling for change.

That’s why we at Dartsnews took a look at how the table would shape up if the Premier League were still played under the old format. To do this, we only consider the first-round matches of each night. In the past, each player played just one match per evening. A win was worth two points, a draw one point, and a defeat yielded nothing. Back then the Premier League featured ten players. After nine nights, the players in ninth and tenth were eliminated on “Judgement Night,” before the season continued with eight players.

For our comparison, we used the first-round matches of the current season. It should be noted, however, that match night nine in particular would have been drawn differently in the old format, as fixtures were then based on the table. Nevertheless, we include those games to provide the fullest possible picture.

Of course, the comparison only goes so far. A leg at 5-4 is played differently than one to force a 5-5 draw. Many players would approach a decider differently than a leg where at least a point is already secured. Still, the table offers an intriguing glimpse of how tight the season would have been under the old format. For that reason we produced two tables, one with draws and one without.

We also applied withdrawals as they are handled in the current Premier League system. The player unable to compete received a 0-6 defeat. His opponent was awarded a 1-0 legs win and two points.

Even without draws, Luke Littler would top the table and head into the Play-Offs as the number one thanks to a superior leg difference. Behind him, however, the race would be far tighter than in the current format. Both Jonny Clayton and Luke Humphries would still be battling for second place. Given his strong leg difference, Humphries would still have a good chance to reel in Clayton.

The fight for fourth would be especially intriguing. Gerwyn Price and Gian van Veen would be close and even set to meet head-to-head. While the same four players would currently qualify for the Play-Offs as in today’s format, the table clearly shows how much tighter it would all be. The biggest difference is that you can earn a maximum of two points per night instead of five. That naturally reduces big gaps.

The case of Josh Rock illustrates this clearly. Under the current format, the Northern Irishman looked cut adrift after many early exits. Under the old system, however, his run of four straight wins would have left him only four points off the Play-Off places. That would likely have given him far more confidence and momentum for the remaining nights.

With draws, the table would tighten even further. Here too, Luke Littler would lead after 15 nights, but Luke Humphries could still catch him. Humphries would already be assured of a Play-Off berth and could theoretically finish anywhere from first to third on the final night.

Just behind him would be Jonny Clayton, who would also already be safely in the play-offs. Behind that, the battle for fourth place would be completely open. Gian van Veen would have the best starting position with 15 points. Behind him, Gerwyn Price and Michael van Gerwen would be lurking with a one-point deficit each.

Above all, van Gerwen would still have every chance of making the play-offs despite his disappointing season so far. That would have been one of the biggest advantages of the old format. A Price who had been considered fairly safe for the play-offs for several weeks would currently be in fifth place.

Stephen Bunting and Josh Rock would still occupy the bottom two places, but at least Bunting would theoretically still have had a chance to catch van Gerwen.

The look at Matchday 14 is particularly interesting. Almost all matches there ended in a 5-5 draw. Only Clayton beat his compatriot Price and would therefore have gained an enormously important edge in the race for the play-offs. Exactly such matchdays would have had an even greater impact on the table in the old format.

In the end, it should be noted that the Premier League would probably have been significantly more exciting in the table under the old format. Of course, this is only comparable to a limited extent. A nightly win in the current system provides enormous confidence and can give players a big boost for the coming weeks. At the same time, streaks like Josh Rock’s four wins in a row would probably have had even more impact in the old format, as only the actual match counted there and semi-final defeats would not have additionally weighed in.

Whether the PDC will actually change the format in the future or stick with the current system remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that the Premier League in the old format – even with fewer players – would have felt significantly tighter and more balanced. Especially in terms of tension in the battle for the table, the old system would probably have had some advantages over today’s format.