"Now they can all try and catch me" - Luke Littler takes top spot after eight nights in Premier League Darts

It’s no longer a surprise, but rather confirmation of a trend that has become increasingly clear in recent weeks: Luke Littler is the man in form in the Premier League Darts.

With another nightly title, his second in a row and third in four weeks, the young Englishman has firmly settled at the top of the standings. And as he himself puts it, calm yet determined, that position isn’t one he intends to give up.

“Yeah, I’m feeling very good, better than the first few weeks. But yeah, now I’m at the top, I don’t want to move from there. I want to stay at the top.”

His words reflect not only confidence, but also the mental growth he has made in a short time.

The way Littler closes out his wins is at least as striking as the results themselves. His checkouts are sharp, often spectacular, and increasingly decisive. Against none other than Michael van Gerwen, he again showed how deadly he can be on the doubles, especially on the bull.

The so-called ‘Big Fish’, a 170 checkout via two treble 20s and the bullseye, is fast becoming a Littler signature.

“Yeah, I mean obviously with the new darts in practice, I was pretty much hitting the bull every time. So when I was on stage, I fancied myself. I obviously hit a 126 on the bull as well, but yeah, them two 170s felt special.”

The crowd laps it up, and his opponents will feel it too. Asked whether these finishes sting mentally for a player like Van Gerwen, Littler replies:

“Yeah, hopefully. But it’s just good to see Michael, he’s smiling, he’s getting back to his best, and it’s so good to see us having better games with each other.”

Behind the scenes, more is at play than just form and confidence. Littler is still experimenting with his setup, and it seems to be paying off. For this night he opted to go back to a tweaked set of darts.

“Yeah, I mean coming into tonight, I said to Mum and Dad, ‘We might as well try these out, if I win my first game, that’s two points on the board.’

Yeah, they’re a bit different. I think Target rushed a bit to get them over to Saudi with me, so there were a few little things not right. But yeah, even when I got them on before, these looked way better, and yeah, they worked out.”

It underlines how important details are at the very top of the darts world. A small tweak in weight, grip, or balance can be the difference between missing and hitting, between losing and dominating.

What makes this Premier League Darts especially intriguing is the volatile nature of the table. Littler started slowly and spent a long time in the lower regions. At one point he was even seventh with only a few points.

“Yeah, I mean it’s been very interesting this Premier League. Obviously Jonny ran away with it a little bit, but yeah, I thought there was going to be a much bigger gap while I was seventh and sat on six or one point. But yeah, now they can all try and catch me.”

That expectation proved wrong. With a run of strong performances, Littler has not only reeled in the field, but left it behind. The roles are now completely reversed, where he first had to chase, he is now the man to catch.

In his current form, reaching the Play-Offs in London seems only a matter of time. Traditionally, the cutoff is around 24 to 25 points, and Littler is well on course.

“Yeah, I mean the last few years I think it’s been about 24 or 25 points. So as long as we get past them points, then I think I can say I’m definitely in.”

The O2 Arena beckons, and all signs point to Littler playing a leading role there.

Away from the oche, Littler is also making headlines. It recently emerged that he is using a personal chef during the Premier League Darts. A luxury? Maybe. But according to Littler it’s mainly a practical choice.

“Some of it’s okay, but like Barry said, hopefully they can sort it out, not only for us, but also for the snooker.”

It illustrates how professional the sport has become. Details like nutrition, rest, and preparation play an ever larger role. Another special moment in Littler’s recent career was his meeting with the England national football team, where he spent time with stars such as Jude Bellingham.

“Yeah, I mean it was even better because the training they did in the day was open, so all the media was there, loads of fans were there. So we got there and just snuck in, so the players didn’t know, they didn’t see me and didn’t know I was there. They just thought we were playing darts together.

But yeah, it was crazy. Obviously good to see all the players and have some dinner with them.”

The night in Germany brought another interesting dynamic. Littler wasn’t sure what to expect from the crowd, but came away pleasantly surprised.

“Yeah, I didn’t know what to expect. Obviously I’ve been hearing there’s a bit of a fan club out here with about 100 members. I met the guys from Target over in Germany last night, went for some food, so yeah, it all sounds good and hopefully it can carry on.”

“The crowd were very good tonight and very respectful. But yeah, it’s just all about my schedule, doing days and weekends with sponsors. But yeah, if it comes around and I need to go to places like Germany to get to Dortmund, then obviously I’ll have to go.”

For now, Littler’s message is simple and clear, he’s on top, and he doesn’t plan on changing that any time soon.

“I don’t want to move from there. I want to stay at the top.”