"People in his team are denying that but I think he will" - Sky Sports pundit predicts Luke Littler u-turn if he wins World Matchplay

Luke Littler stands on the brink of a pivotal phase of the darts season. The 19-year-old Englishman begins his title defense at the World Matchplay in Blackpool on Saturday, and according to experts he is doing so with a strategy that strongly recalls the approach of the greatest player of all time: Phil Taylor.

Littler is enjoying another exceptional season. The current world number one has already captured the World Darts Championship, the Masters, the UK Open, the Premier League Darts, and the World Cup of Darts this year. That puts even a historic clean sweep of all major PDC titles within reach.

To complete that unique feat, Littler must successfully defend his titles at the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts, and Players Championship Finals over the coming months. In addition, only the European Championship is still missing from his impressive honors list.

Strikingly, Littler has not played a single Players Championship event this season. He skipped all 24 ProTour tournaments that have been scheduled so far. That leaves just ten Players Championship events to qualify for the Players Championship Finals in Minehead.

According to former professional Paul Nicholson, that is no coincidence. He sees clear similarities with how Phil Taylor structured his calendar in the final years of his career. “I think he has mastered this Phil Taylor-style season where he doesn’t play a lot but peaks for the majors,” Nicholson said on the Love the Darts Podcast.

The former major winner also expects Littler to further extend his lead in the world rankings in the coming months. “If you think about how much he is defending at the [World Matchplay] tournament, it is sickening because it is first-round money from two years ago. With Humphries defending the winner’s cheque and Littler not defending anything, it’s just going to widen. Unless Littler goes out early, which nobody expects to happen.”

Littler’s rare appearances on the ProTour do not mean he is less active. In recent weeks the Englishman has been in the United States for the World Series of Darts and has also fulfilled various promotional commitments.

Darts analyst Michael Bridge believes Littler may yet adjust his schedule if he wins the World Matchplay again. “There is still question marks whether he will do any ProTours at all. I think he might change his mind if he wins the Matchplay because he will want to win everything,” said Bridge. “I know people in his team are denying that but I think he will go for it if he wins the Matchplay."

In Bridge's view, Littler’s motivation should not be underestimated. “We know Luke and where there is a goal he is so incredibly driven. He has not been playing in the ProTours. There is a suggestion to me that it is too late to get to Minehead. But there is definitely time."

Bridge does add a caveat. The Players Championship events are known as perhaps the most unpredictable tournaments on the PDC Tour. “As incredible as he is the ProTour is so nasty you can literally go out in the first round the two or three you do in the week. But if he wins this then I think it will propel him to want to go to Minehead.”

For now, all attention turns to Blackpool, where Littler opens his bid for a second consecutive World Matchplay title against Germany’s Niko Springer on Saturday. A successful title defense would not only secure another major prize, but also further open the door to a season that could go down in history.

Should Littler indeed strike again at the Winter Gardens, the temptation to add a few Players Championship events to his schedule may become strong. Not out of necessity, but to defend the Players Championship Finals and keep his pursuit of a fully historic trophy haul alive.

For the time being, however, the focus is entirely on the World Matchplay. If Littler showcases his class there once more, the comparison with Phil Taylor will only grow stronger.