ANALYSIS | Who will get the invite for 2025 Premier League Darts?

As the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship progresses, the Premier League Darts will also come up as a topic of discussion. For players, the current tournament at Alexandra Palace is one of the last chances to put themselves in the picture with the selectors.

The PDC announced previously that the format for the upcoming Premier League Darts has not been tinkered with. So that means eight players will once again be selected. They will, for sixteen weeks, then play mini-tournaments every Thursday night in cities across the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands and Germany. The four players who perform best during these mini-tournaments will return to action during the playoffs on Thursday, May 29.

The big question, of course, is which players will make their appearance at the 2025 Premier League Darts. Dartsnews.com lists the players who stand a chance of being invited.

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Who are 100% sure?

We begin with the players who we believe are already certain to participate. That's three at the moment. If you doubt the names, look at almost all Premier League-related announcements from the PDC. There are the pictures of three players on those every time.

Luke Littler

The defending champion is the first one we fill in on the list. Preceded by the previous discussion of whether the PDC would do well to add such a young player to the lineup right away. Although it took a while for Littler to really pick up steam, he ended up paying back the confidence in the end. 'The Nuke' peaked on the final night and became the youngest ever winner of Premier League Darts.

Luke Humphries

The world number one will, of course, also be there during the touring darts circus. Luke Humphries first competed in a full Premier League in 2024 and managed to make it to the final then. Only because of an unleashed Littler was Humphries denied the title at the O2 Arena in London.

Michael van Gerwen

Of course, Michael van Gerwen is also going to make another appearance in Premier League Darts. Since the 2013 edition, 'Mighty Mike' has invariably been part of the lineup. His statistics in the Premier League are phenomenal. Van Gerwen won the Premier League Darts seven times, while also losing two finals. Only once did Van Gerwen miss out on participation in the playoffs.

Of course, Luke Littler will not be missing during the 2025 Premier League Darts

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Who stand a very good chance of participating?

This group is quite a bit smaller. According to us here ar Dartsnews.com, there are only two players who can pretty much book off Thursday nights in their schedules for the next few months.

Rob Cross

Bold to include someone who lost in the second round of the World Darts Championship already, but chances are Rob Cross will just slot in. Cross is currently number four in the world after the World Championships, and the (unwritten) rule is that the top four always sit in. Cross could drop another spot in the rankings, but chances are slim that the PDC would then still decide to look over Cross as world number five. The former world champion usually performs very consistently, reaching five major-quarterfinals and one semifinal in 2024.

Stephen Bunting

We believe Stephen Bunting will make his return to Premier League Darts in 2025. That would be ten years after the first (and as yet last) time 'The Bullet' participated in Premier League Darts. The Englishman actually meets all the requirements necessary to qualify for a wildcard. In terms of performance, he's in good shape. He won the 2024 Masters and did extremely well on the Pro Tour. The results on the majors may have been a bit disappointing in breadth, but Bunting does have the excuse that he lost to Humphries three times at a major in 2024. In addition, Bunting's walk-on and huge #LetsGoBuntingMental fanbase makes him a suitable addition to the lineup as well.

Will Stephen Bunting finally return to the best darts competition in the world after a decade?

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Who are the contenders for the remaining three spots?

We have narrowed down the list of candidates for the remaining three spots in the Premier League to 12 realistic options. For many of them will depend on how the World Darts Championship will develop. We have divided the 12 possible options into five different groups.

Dave Chisnall, Gary Anderson & Michael Smith

For these three players, a miracle would actually have to happen to get an invitation. Dave Chisnall is currently ranked number five in the world, but is actually in this spot primarily because of his Pro Tour performance. His major results over the past three seasons have been downright disappointing. Since the start of 2022, Chisnall has been in the quarterfinals of a major only twice. At the World Darts Championship, Chisnall was eliminated in the second round by Ricky Evans.

Michael Smith will no doubt also recognize that he would not deserve an invitation. If 'Bullyboy' does get invited, it will be primarily on name and status. Smith made it to the playoffs at the 2024 Premier League Darts, but did not perform well at the ranking majors. A semifinal at the World Matchplay was a paltry highlight, although Smith did win the World Cup of Darts with Humphries. At the World Darts Championship, Smith lost in the second round to Kevin Doets. As a result, the Englishman will take a significant dip in the world rankings, to probably a position just inside the top-20 of the PDC Order of Merit.

Gary Anderson is someone who would deserve an invitation, but 'The Flying Scotsman' himself has indicated several times that not a hair on his head thinks about participating in the Premier League Darts. Unless the PDC comes up with an offer that cannot be refused, we can put a small cross through Anderson's name.

Jonny Clayton & Gerwyn Price

In fact, we can hardly imagine a Premier League without a player from Wales. The last time this happened was in 2015, before the emergence of Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton. They might even both be there in 2025, although that chance is not great either. Clayton is in a shared sixth spot in the world rankings, while Price is number nine. 'The Iceman' is a bit more of a crowd-pleaser than his countryman, but the last time Price really got far at a televised tournament was also some time ago. Price and Clayton could face each other in the fourth round of the World Darts Championship. Perhaps a Premier League ticket is the hidden stake in that duel.

Dimitri van den Bergh & Mike de Decker

Darts is booming in Belgium and we all know that the financial picture is always important for the PDC as well. Dimitri van den Bergh and Mike de Decker both won a major this season. Van den Bergh won the UK Open, while De Decker surprisingly took the title at the World Grand Prix. The advantage for De Decker is that the World Grand Prix was broadcast by Sky Sports, the British broadcaster of the Premier League. Moreover, De Decker then also showed well at the Grand Slam of Darts and the Players Championship Finals. However, the Worlds became a disappointment for "The Real Deal," with an elimination in the second round. Van den Bergh is still in the tournament, though. The further 'The Dreammaker' gets at Alexandra Palace, the greater his chances of participating will become.

Damon Heta & Nathan Aspinall

Two players who certainly fit into the Premier League in terms of character, especially considering their walk-ons. Only the television results do not yet speak in their favor. Damon Heta and Nathan Aspinall both still have the chance to show during the World Darts Championship why they are entitled to an invitation. A quarter or semifinal would therefore be just the right time.

Peter Wright, Chris Dobey, Josh Rock

Three outsiders for an invitation to Premier League Darts. What goes for Michael Smith actually goes for Peter Wright as well. The only difference is actually that Wright is still in the World Championship. With a very good result in Ally Pally, "Snakebite" still gives the selection committee ammunition to include him. In that case, though, Wright may have to win over both Jermaine Wattimena (third round) and Luke Humphries (last 16) at the World Darts Championship. Even then, the question is whether a quarterfinal is going to be enough.

Chris Dobey already competed in the Premier League Darts once in 2023 and would be only too happy to return in 2025. 'Hollywood' was ranked number one on the Players Championship Order of Merit in 2024, but did rather less well at the television tournaments, where he usually performs better than on the floor. A very good Worlds result, say a semifinal, will still put Dobey high on the nomination list.

In the third round, Dobey will then have to face Josh Rock. The PDC likes refreshment in Premier League Darts, but they have to have a reason for it. Rock could provide this reason if he makes it to the semifinals at the World Darts Championship.

From 2014, Peter Wright was always there in the Premier League Darts

Prediction

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Luke Humphries

Michael van Gerwen

Rob Cross

Stephen Bunting

Gerwyn Price

Nathan Aspinall

Mike de Decker