DRAW PDC Players Championship 27 | Huge day for Humphries, Smith & Aspinall in race to Minehead

After Gerwyn Price's title win at Players Championship 26 yesterday, the action rolls straight on into Players Championship 27 this Wednesday afternoon in Germany, and once again the draw has thrown up some eye-catching ties for the sport’s leading names. See the draw for yourself right here!

Luke Humphries begins against Dom Taylor, with the world number one needing a strong day in the race to qualify for the Players Championship Finals in Minehead. Michael Smith is in for a tricky opener against Florian Hempel, while Gerwyn Price takes on youngster Tavis Dudeney. Nathan Aspinall also has to be sharp from the start as he faces German prospect Leon Weber.

Humphries was knocked out in the second round on Tuesday by an unstoppable Bradley Brooks, who fired a 112 average against his compatriot. With £20,000, Humphries is currently sitting dangerously close to the cut off in 62nd on the Players Championship Order of Merit. Of the 26 Players Championship tournaments now finished, Humphries has only played six.

Gary Anderson is handed another tough assignment in Lukas Wenig, and Dave Chisnall meets Maximilian Czerwinski in a match he’ll be expected to control. Joe Cullen vs Brendan Dolan stands out as one of the ties of the round, with both proven Pro Tour winners. Ross Smith is paired with Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak, while Ryan Searle faces Adam Lipscombe.

Elsewhere, Damon Heta opens against Irish youngster Dylan Slevin, Danny Noppert faces Belgian stalwart Mario Vandenbogaerde, and Dirk van Duijvenbode meets the talented Pole Sebastian Bialecki. Five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld plays Sam Spivey, while Mensur Suljovic and Scott Williams both feature in the middle section of the draw.

With Players Championship Finals qualification and crucial ranking points still on the line, the spotlight will fall firmly on the likes of Humphries, Smith, Price, Aspinall, Anderson, Chisnall, Cullen and Searle to deliver – though as ever, the floor is never short of upsets.