"I did get a little telling off" - Luke Littler admits Michael van Gerwen "is not wrong" to call him out for lateness on Premier League Darts media day

The 2025 Premier League Darts season kicked off on Thursday night in Belfast. On the opening night, the weekly title went to Luke Humphries, who won 6-1 over Chris Dobey in the final. Beforehand, there was some fuss about defending champion Luke Littler, who arrived late for the traditional pre-Premier League Darts media day.

Defending champion Littler lost on opening night in the quarterfinals 6-5 to Michael van Gerwen, despite posting an average of around 114 in a an absolute Premier League Darts classic to kick off the new campaign. As mentioned though, a day before the start of the Premier League Darts, a media day is traditionally scheduled, which includes a photo shoot with all the participants of this PDC major. However, Michael van Gerwen wound up quite upset because Littler arrived 45 minutes late, making the others wait.

"They (The PDC ed.) have to stop treating him like a baby. He's not a baby anymore, he's 18 years old now," Van Gerwen said with a smile. "It happens. He has to learn. You have to learn the hard way. It's a professional sport, so you have to be responsible for your actions. It's as simple as that. If he's late for an interview, I don't mind. But seven other people are waiting for him. That's not very nice, is it?"

Littler reacted ahead of his match with Van Gerwen. "I always let my darts do the talking. But he [Van Gerwen] is not wrong. I was late. I'm 18 now and I'm responsible for my actions and I did get a little telling off," 'The Nuke' told Sky Sports.

'The Nuke' realizes that another busy schedule will be upon him in the coming weeks. "The travel is probably one of the worst parts but I can take what happened last year and bring it into this year," concludes the teenage sensation. "I know what's coming, I know what to expect and I can say I'm used to the schedule now."