Entries Players Championship 19 & 20: Humphries, Littler, Price and Van Gerwen absent as Anderson, Aspinall, Bunting lead

The latest Players Championship double header is upon us between June 2-3 at Arena MK as some of the sport's biggest names play for £15,000 at each event.

Both tournaments see a field of 128 players compete albeit as ever the talking point more so as ever this season has been who is not involved in the next double header than who is playing.

Even with the Premier League now on the back burner, the withdrawals from top names does in fact continue into the next double header at least. Michael van Gerwen is absent. ‘Mighty Mike’ has chosen to go on holiday with his children. It had already become clear that Van Gerwen had also withdrawn from the Baltic Sea Darts Open. Matthias Ehlers, Luke Humphries, Luke Littler, Pero Ljubic, Gerwyn Price, Pascal Rupprecht, Niko Springer and Maximilian Czerwinski are the other Tour Card holders who will not be taking part.

The vacant spots will be filled by Joe Hunt, Derek Coulson, Tommy Lishman, Daniel Ayres, Tommy Morris, Aden Kirk, Christopher Wickenden, Nathan Potter and Jack Tweddell, the highest-ranked players on the Challenge Tour Order of Merit. Gary Anderson, Nathan Aspinall, Stephen Bunting, Jonny Clayton, Chris Dobey and James Wade have entered the tournament though.

Wessel Nijman has claimed five Players Championship titles in 2026 and will aim to extend that title tally as the leading light but we have had many interesting new winners amid the big names deciding not to play and returning faces. Among them include Beau Greaves, Luke Woodhouse, Andrew Gilding and of course Nijman. With big names skipping again, will it be the same old story?