"I’m one of the best players in the world and deserve to be in this Premier League" - Defiant Stephen Bunting ready for Cardiff cauldron

Stephen Bunting endured a miserable start to his 2026 Premier League campaign. Last year, ‘The Bullet’ didn’t win a single match until Night Eight, and with three consecutive defeats this year it looked to be heading the same way. Until last week. The current world number 6 found his best game in Belfast and, out of nowhere, won Night Four, climbing straight up to fifth in the table.

For many, this victory came out of the blue, given he hadn’t managed to win his opening match on any of the first three nights. In Northern Ireland, however, an unleashed Bunting took to the stage, hitting a 106 average in both his quarterfinal and semifinal. He then convincingly beat Dutchman Gian van Veen 6-2 in the final, banking five points and instantly forcing his way back into the hunt for the top spots.

The Liverpool thrower will want to carry that momentum into Cardiff, where Night Five is on the schedule this evening. Having had to wait so long for his first win last year, he was determined to avoid a repeat this season at all costs. “I learnt a lot from last year,” said ‘The Bullet’ ahead of Night Five in Cardiff. “It took me a long while to get that first win, and I’m happy I’ve got that monkey off my back now."

After last week, the 40-year-old remains fully confident he can finish in the top four and book a place at Finals Night.

“I still believe I’m one of the best players in the world and deserve to be in this Premier League; that win in Belfast goes a long way to say why I should be here," Bunting explained. “This has to rank up there with one of the best wins of my career. I was a bit emotional early on after my first game, but I held it together.”

This Thursday evening in Cardiff, Bunting will face Gerwyn Price in his quarterfinal, with Price performing in front of his home crowd in Wales.