Jonny Tata and Ben Robb complete field of participants first Dabble Darts Premier League

The sport of darts in Oceania is getting a new boost with the introduction of the Dabble Darts Premier League, a brand new tournament in which New Zealand and Australia are joining forces. It's now been confirmed that Kiwis Jonny Tata and Ben Robb complete the eight-player field of participants. With that, they join six top Australian players for a competition that promises to be a true darts spectacle Down Under.

The tournament begins on Saturday, Oct. 4, at the John Cain Arena in Melbourne. In the following weeks, the Premier League will tour several major cities in the region, including Newcastle, Canberra, Hobart, Adelaide, Wellington and the Gold Coast. A Saturday night of top-notch darts is scheduled at each location. The league concludes with the Play-Offs in Brisbane on Nov. 22, where the top four players compete for the title.

It will be a special tournament for Jonny Tata. The 33-year-old trucker from Wellington qualified by convincingly finishing the DPNZ ProTour 2025 as number one. Tata won no less than five of the last seven ranking tournaments and crowned his strong form with a spectacular nine-darter during the twelfth tournament. With this performance, he not only secured himself participation, but also a spot in his own hometown of Wellington when the Premier League descends there.

Tata has already impressed at the international level in recent months. He was on the podium at the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam and competed in both the Australian Darts Masters and the New Zealand Darts Masters in August. With his rapid rise and natural flair, he is seen by many as New Zealand's revelation.

In addition to Tata, Ben Robb also managed to qualify. Robb finished second in the DPNZ ProTour, but officially secured his participation by winning the Top 16 Play-Offs. With his height, strength and imposing charisma, Robb has been a fixture in international darts for years. He's played five times at the PDC World Championship and represented New Zealand three times at the World Cup of Darts.

His experience makes him a dangerous outsider for the title. Where Tata especially represents the promise of the future, Robb brings proven stability and the mental toughness of a player who has been on the biggest stage several times.

The tournament clearly takes inspiration from the PDC Premier League Darts. On the first seven days of play, a complete knockout schedule is completed each time: quarterfinals, semifinals and a final - all on the same night. In the process, each player comes out once against each opponent in a quarterfinal match.

Matches will be played over a best-of-9 leg format. For ranking purposes, the following point system will apply:

After seven weeks, the top four players in the league table qualify for the Play-Offs in Brisbane. There, the semifinals will be played over best of 15 legs, followed by a final over best of 19 legs.

Not only honor is at stake. The prize money is generous: the champion pockets $30,000 and also earns a coveted starting spot at the World Darts Championship in London. The losing finalist receives $24,000, while the semifinalists are still guaranteed $20,000 each.

With the arrival of the Dabble Darts Premier League, Oceania is getting its own variant of the iconic PDC competition. For players like Tata and Robb, it means not only a chance to compete with the best Australians, but also to show audiences in their own region that darts is alive and growing.

The eyes are especially on the evening in Wellington, where Jonny Tata will no doubt want to get his home crowd on the benches. At the same time, Ben Robb, with his experience and drive, will be a formidable opponent for any competitor. One thing is certain: in the coming months the sport of darts in Australia and New Zealand will have a new chapter filled with excitement, spectacle and history in the making.