Luke Littler headlines Premier League Darts class of 2024 as lineup is revealed

Thursday, 04 January 2024 at 17:05

The PDC has announced the lineup for the 2024 Premier League Darts. This includes a spot for teenage sensation Luke Littler, who managed to reach the final on his debut at the World Darts Championship.

The big question was whether the PDC dared to let him play directly in the Premier League Darts, where he would face off against the world's top players weekly in large arenas. But after his sensational performances at the World Darts Championship, the organization really couldn't ignore him.

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Littler is not the only debutant in Premier League Darts. The brand new world champion Luke Humphries, of course, has also received an invitation. 'Cool Hand Luke' was unexpectedly left out of last year's selection, but last season made his mark with four major titles, including thus the world title.

Michael van Gerwen will join the touring darts circus for the 12th time. 'Mighty Mike' is the defending champion in Premier League Darts and managed to win seven of the last 11 editions.

Of course, former world champion Michael Smith, World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall and former world champion Gerwyn Price are also not missing from the lineup. Peter Wright has also received another invitation. 'Snakebite' had a very mediocre year despite winning the European Championship title, but is considered an absolute crowd favourite.

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The remaining spot went to Rob Cross. 'Voltage' already competed in the Premier League from 2018 to 2021, but was left out of the lineup at the last two editions. However, with two World Series titles, two major finals, a Euro Tour title and a Players Championship title, Cross has reclaimed his spot.

The format for the 2024 Premier League Darts remains the same as in previous years. The eight players will play mini-tournaments each week for 16 weeks. The first is on Thursday, Feb. 1, in Cardiff, while on Thursday, April 18, they will visit Ahoy Rotterdam. The four players who have performed best will compete for the final victory on Thursday, May 23, during the playoffs.