Michael van Gerwen had to withdraw earlier this Premier League Darts campaign for a night and his initial opponent in Dublin, Gian van Veen has now had to and won't play on Thursday night.
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The Dutch No.1 was due for a top Double Dutch tie but Van Gerwen in Premier League Darts action now receives a bye through to the semi-finals in the Irish capital. Van Gerwen also receives two points and a +1 leg difference.
Van Veen now suffers a -6 leg difference and gets no points with 'GVV The Giant' out due to kidney stones and so won't play and presumably won't travel to Wieze this weekend for the European Tour with the draw confirmed for that later today.
Van Veen currently sits in fourth place through six nights after finishing runner-up three times but has been ruled out as he remains in hospital.
Jonny Clayton arrives in Dublin eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table and is looking to win his third consecutive night after success in Glasgow and Nottingham.
Gian van Veen reached the World Darts Championship final earlier this year
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Van Veen is one of a number of players on nine points alongside Gerwyn Price and Luke Humphries but won't add to that. Van Gerwen could get some help tonight though as he is part of a trailing group on eight points and will win some tonight regardless by moving straight through.
He now faces Bunting or Littler in the first semi-final with only three games in the prior Quarter-Finals now to take place.
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
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