After 16 weeks of competing for a spot on the final night, the lineup for the 2024
Premier League Darts playoffs has been announced. On Thursday, May 23, the four remaining darters will compete for the final victory.
At stake is the coveted top prize of a whopping 275,000 pounds. The other three players also get a nice penny anyway. The four semifinalists are already assured of £85,000 in prize money. This money does not count toward the world rankings, by the way, because the Premier League Darts is a non-ranking tournament.
The four remaining contenders for the Premier League title
Luke Littler
Littler became the first player to secure entry into the playoffs on the 14th round of play. What a dream debut this teenage sensation has made in Premier League Darts. Prior to his participation, there were doubts about whether it was in Littler's best interest to invite him, but "The Nuke" answered with his arrows.
The 17-year-old Englishman made it to his first weekly final in the second week, but had to wait until week nine before a first weekly title followed. After that, Littler would win three more weekly titles. With four weekly titles and forty points, Littler finished at the top of the league standings after sixteen weeks of play.
Luke Humphries
Humphries was also allowed to book his ticket for a trip to the O2 Arena in London after the fourteenth week of play. The groundwork for this was laid at the end of the first half of the competition.
After a rough start, with only four wins in the first five weeks, Humphries strung the points together by winning three consecutive weeks of play. The reigning world champion topped the rankings for several weeks, but still lost the lead to Littler. By the way, Humphries still managed to take his fourth weekly title in the fifteenth week of play.
Michael van Gerwen
Van Gerwen has had quite a volatile phase of competition. After losing his first match on opening night, 'Mighty Mike' struck back by winning the second, third and fourth weeks of play.
After that, however, things took a turn for the worse. He lost four weeks in a row in the first round. What was remarkable was that Van Gerwen won the eleventh week of play without playing well, while also suffering regular defeats with an average of well over a hundred. At the end of the competition, the Dutchman's play was a lot more consistent, which should provide perspective for him for an eighth Premier League title.
Michael Smith
Until the last round of play it remained exciting who would win the last ticket to the playoffs. The battle was between Michael Smith and Nathan Aspinall, who also faced each other in a duel. The spoils went to 'Bullyboy', who won 6-3 over his good friend Aspinall.
Smith started and ended the competition in style, as the former world champion won both the first and last rounds of play. In between, there were three final-round wins, which ensured that Smith may also be in action during the playoffs.
Playing schedule playoffs Premier League Darts 2024
Thursday, May 23.
Semi-final
Luke Littler v Michael Smith
Luke Humphries v Michael van Gerwen
Finale
Littler/Smith v Humphries/Van Gerwen