"Is he scared of me or Humphries going £1million, £2million ahead of him": Luke Littler fires back at Van Gerwen's ranking change call

With the PDC World Darts Championship in sight, the stakes are higher than ever this year. Not only athletically, but also financially, history is being made. For the first time in darts history, the world champion will receive £1 million. The amount is double what Luke Littler earned last year when he captured the title as a teenager.

The impact of that increase is causing debate in the circuit ahead of the PDC World Darts Championship. While organizers see the record premium as a new milestone, some players fear distortion of the ranking balance. Michael van Gerwen, in particular, voiced criticism prior to the tournament of the existing system, which remains based on earned prize money.

According to the Dutchman, it is time for an alternative. He argued to SportsBoom for a ranking based on points instead of money. “We all know the Worlds is the most important one, but it’s not even a comparison anymore,” Van Gerwen told SportsBoom.co.uk.

“If you ask me my honest opinion, they should have a point system. I say it every year, but I’m not the organisation.”

Van Gerwen points to Littler's lead on the Order of Merit. The world champion, meanwhile, is approaching £2 million over the current cycle. Van Gerwen follows on more than a million behind, even before the first arrow has been thrown at Alexandra Palace.

Littler sees no reason to change the system. Confronted with Van Gerwen's words, the world champion responded briefly, firmly and without detours.

“As far is it goes I think it should continue,” Littler told SportsBoom.co.uk. "If Michael wanted it to change, then is he confident about picking this up?”

“Is he scared of me or Luke [Humphries] going £1million, £2million ahead of him in the rankings?”

According to Littler, it says more about his competitor's position than the system itself. “It’s Van Gerwen we’re talking about; he’s won this plenty of times. If we’re talking about changing the ranking system while this is around the corner, there’s a million quid on the line, then that says it all.”

Although he realizes there is something prestigious about being the first person to win a million-pound world title, Littler stresses that it is not his primary goal. “People are always going to say the first million-pound champion.”

“Gary Anderson has been the only person who’s gone back-to-back in the last 10 years. Obviously, Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis did it, but it’s been 10 years since someone won this back-to-back, so that’s on my mind."