''I'm no Peter Wright or Raymond van Barneveld'' - Michael van Gerwen wants to shine with rare change of darts during playoffs

Michael van Gerwen is known for not changing darts very often. In his years of success, the Dutchman always played with the same darts called by some old faithfuls, but recently the three-time world champion decided to change his equipment anyway.

Speaking to De Telegraaf recently, Van Gerwen explained his explanation for his dart changes, revealing one particular detail. "I change sets every two or three months, but I have them made by Winmau and the technicians in such a way that it looks like they are worn out," the Dutchman explained.

"I once started on 26 grams, then I was on 23 grams and those wore off so badly that I was on 21.5 grams. I continued to throw with that, but the draft in those big halls often played tricks on me and other players. A heavier arrow is a touch more stable, so I make fewer mistakes."

"Mighty Mike" switched from XQ Max to Winmau in early 2020 and managed to win the UK Open that same year with his new darts. "But I then threw them aside again. I don't really know why either, but it happened. Sometimes you have to choose the right moment for change."

Van Gerwen believes this is the right time to switch darts, hoping to use them to regain success in the Premier League, which he has already won seven times in his career. "Last Thursday I threw above 100 average with it twice, so so far it's going pretty well," he said of his last two matches against Rob Cross and Luke Humphries in the Premier League last week.

So it doesn't surprise him that despite his arrow change, he "just" finished in the final four again. "That's also because of my own level. Because I can do it a bit. Occasionally it's also a little less, but very often it's good. I only have to win two games for that umpteenth title? But you also have to make sure you come here. There are players who don't come here that often"

Still, we shouldn't expect Van Gerwen to switch between his arrows too often. "No, no, no. I'm not Peter Wright and I'm not Raymond van Barneveld either," he said. Both are known to change equipment often, with 'Snakebite' even throwing different sets on a weekly basis.

In tonight's semifinal, Van Gerwen faces Luke Humphries, against whom he has not had a too good record the last few matches. Of the past 10 TV matches between them, the Dutchman managed to win only 3. In fact, the last 6 clashes were all in favor of the Englishman. In the other semifinal, Luke Littler and Michael Smith will meet.

If MVG manages to win the Premier League for an eighth time, he will earn nearly 370,000 euros. He has already earned 40,000 euros by winning 4 nights (a bonus of 10,000 euros per night). Even if he is eliminated in the semifinals, he will still earn about 150,000 euros.

Final 2023: Gerwyn Price 5-11 Michael van Gerwen.

Final 2022: Joe Cullen 10-11 Michael van Gerwen

Final 2021: Jonny Clayton 11-5 Jose de Sousa

2020 Final: Glen Durrant 11-8 Nathan Aspinall

Final 2019: Michael van Gerwen 11-5 Rob Cross

Final 2018: Michael van Gerwen 11-4 Michael Smith

Final 2017: Michael van Gerwen 11-10 Peter Wright

Final 2016: Michael van Gerwen 11-3 Phil Taylor

Final 2015: Michael van Gerwen 7-11 Gary Anderson.

Final 2014: Michael van Gerwen 6-10 Raymond van Barneveld.