We are nearing the end of the first half of the season in the Premier League Darts 2025. The seventh round of play in the prestigious darts competition takes place Thursday night at the Utilita Arena in Cardiff.
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It is the only chance for Welsh darts fans to see the world's best dart players at work in their own country at an official tournament. For Gerwyn Price in particular, it is obviously a special night, as this will be a home match for 'The Iceman'. In his early Premier League years, this night was about the only time for Price that he was not massively booed, but in recent years Price's reputation has changed in a positive way and he can count on crowd support at other venues as well.
Follow the Premier League Darts 2025 via our LIVE SCORE!
Follow the Premier League Darts 2025 via our LIVE SCORE!
Nevertheless, it will be a special night for Price, who previously indicated he would trade 15 weekly titles for winning the weekly title on home soil. He previously succeeded in doing so in 2023, when the weekly title went to the former rugby player after wins over Chris Dobey (6-5), Michael van Gerwen (6-5) and Nathan Aspinall (6-3).
A good harbinger for Price is that since the start of the current format in Premier League Darts with the weekly mini-tournaments that there has been a Welshman in the final every year. Jonny Clayton made it to the final in 2022, but then had to leave the title to Peter Wright. Price won the title himself in 2023 and again reached the final in 2024, but fell short of a second consecutive weekly title. Then it was Michael Smith who walked away with the title and the weekly bonus of 10,000 pounds.
Chris Dobey v Stephen Bunting
The evening in Cardiff opens with a basement clash between Chris Dobey and Stephen Bunting. Dobey last won a Premier League Darts match during the first round of play in Belfast, while Stephen Bunting has yet to record a win at all. Dobey made it to the weekly final on the first night, but then failed too often on the doubles. His finishing percentage of 34.38 percent is the lowest of all eight players.
His opponent Bunting had the fewest chances on the doubles. Only 48 times did "The Bullet" get on a double; that is exactly half the number of Dobey (96). Is there anything positive Bunting can take from this? Perhaps from the fact that the last time he won a Premier League match, the darter from St. Helens was playing in Cardiff. That was during the twelfth week of play of the Premier League Darts in 2015. Ten years ago, in other words, which was also the only time Bunting got to play a full Premier League.
It will be the first time Bunting and Dobey will meet in the Premier League Darts. They have met twice this season at other tournaments. Bunting beat Dobey 6-0 at the Bahrain Darts Masters, the tournament that was eventually won by the former Lakeside champion. However, Dobey won 10-6 over his compatriot at the UK Open, and is ahead 12-4 in the overall head-to-head.
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Luke Humphries v Michael van Gerwen
The top affair of the quarterfinals is one between the numbers one and three in the world rankings; Luke Humphries against Michael van Gerwen. Humphries, meanwhile, is well on his way to qualifying for the playoffs well before the end of the league stage. With 15 points from six rounds of play, "Cool Hand Luke" is already about halfway there. Humphries already won two weekly titles, but despite this the gap with Van Gerwen is 'only' five points.
Van Gerwen has yet to reach a single weekly final this Premier League, but he did manage to reach the semifinals in five of the six previous rounds of play, garnering two points each time for the rankings. The fact that Van Gerwen has not reached a single weekly final is mainly due to the moderate finishing of the Dutchman, who has a finishing percentage of only 34.53 percent in this Premier League. Only Dobey performs worse on finishes than the seven-time Premier League winner. A win over Humphries will be crucial to keep up with the top spots and avoid ending up in an uphill battle to make the playoffs.
Once Van Gerwen was still ahead 13-5 in the head-to-head against Humphries, but the Englishman has since evened the score: 14-14. So of the last 10 encounters with Humphries, the three-time world champion won only one. Earlier this Premier League, they faced each other in Belfast and then Humphries pulled out the win 6-5.
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Luke Littler v Nathan Aspinall
Since last week, Luke Littler is the new leader in Premier League Darts. His final in Nottingham saw 'The Nuke' pass his great rival Humphries in the standings after Littler beat his rival 6-4 in the quarter-finals. With 16 points, the reigning world champion is also well on his way to quickly forcing placement for the playoffs.
Being there in London on May 29 is ultimately also the goal of Nathan Aspinall, who has re-entered the race in full force after a poor start. 'The Asp' began the competition with two defeats, but thanks to two finals and a semifinal, the two-time major winner is in fifth place with eight points.
To stay in the lead of the top four, Aspinall will therefore have to stunt against Littler, something the Stockport-based darter has only done once before. Littler won no less than ten of the previous eleven confrontations, including twice already in this Premier League.
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Gerwyn Price v Rob Cross
The moment the thousands of Welsh fans are looking forward to is the appearance of Gerwyn Price, who may face Rob Cross in Cardiff. Moreover, the Welshman is well into his confidence after taking his second weekly title last week. Price defeated Luke Littler in the final, bringing his point total to 12. This puts him in a neat third place after six rounds of play.
Cross is currently ranked number six. 'Voltage' collected eight points after reaching four semifinals, and thus is still waiting for his first weekly final of this competition. The former world champion is actually unlucky that his opponents often throw well against him. Four of his six defeats were against a player who managed to throw (well) above 100 average.
In the mutual balance between Price and Cross, it is 14-11 for the darter from Wales. The two players have not yet met in this Premier League, but they did meet in the semifinals of the Dutch Darts Masters in Den Bosch at the end of January. Then Cross triumphed 7-3.
Winner's bonus of £10,000
A unique aspect of the Premier League is that a separate tournament is played each week of play, with the winner receiving an additional £10,000. This means that a player who manages to win multiple weeks of play can boost his prize money considerably. Since the league lasts for 16 weeks, an additional total of £160,000 can be distributed to the winners of these nights of play.
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With performances, players also earn points toward the Premier League standings. The winner of a weekly tournament receives five points, while the losing finalist takes home three points. Semi-finalists keep two points and players who lose their opening match go home scoreless.
Format
Tournament Phase
Quarterfinals/Semi-Finals/Finals: Best of 11 legs
Playoffs
Semifinals: Best of 19 legs
Final: Best of 21 legs
TV Guide
Thanks to Sky Sports, you don't have to miss a single darts moment. Every Thursday night starting at 7 p.m., the channel will bring you the matches live, including extensive analysis and interviews with the main players.
The broadcasts usually last until midnight, allowing you to enjoy a full evening of pure entertainment and top-level darts at the highest level.
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Distribution of prize money
With a total prize pool of £1,000,000, the eight contestants are competing not only for the title, but also for a substantial amount of money. All participants are guaranteed £60,000 in prize money. This eventually rises to the top prize of £275,000 for the winner.
However, players can also win a bonus each week. For every winner of a mini-tournament during the league phase, a sum of £10,000 is up for grabs.
Schedule Premier League Darts 2025
Seventh round of play - Thursday, March 20.
Utilita Arena, Cardiff
Quarterfinals (7pm)
Chris Dobey v Stephen Bunting
Luke Humphries v Michael van Gerwen
Luke Littler v Nathan Aspinall
Gerwyn Price v Rob Cross
Gerwyn Price will be the great darling of the crowd Thursday night in Cardiff
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Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
- And yet the PDC has decided to aggravate this problem by doubling the Players Championship Finals field from 2027. I can't imagine there will be fewer withdrawals next year with even less reason to turn up. I can only hope that a whole slew of Challenge Tour top-up players receive enough prize money in the absence of much of the elite, that some of the more complacent among them struggle to scrape into even a heavily diluted field! More semi-pro players will get to test their mettle, but the standard of competition will be much inferior. It could hardly be said that the Players Championship series will provide an opportunity for darts' second string to test their Tour Card credentials anymore, but at least it will underscore the achievements of those Challenge Tour players of current and previous years, who were able to prove themselves as more than capable of competing with, and beating, the elite of the sport on a consistent basis, and reaping the due rewards.Deduce635828-10-2026
- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026
- Littler lost to crabtree in the youth/junior/whatever you call it. He had no point in being there. He's unfortunately now got to the stage,he feels all he has to do is get on the stage to win. Well,I hope he realises part of his fear factor has gone. Happened to Taylor,then van gerwen,and it's causing him to realise pretty sharp,he isn't unstoppable. It's good for the sport,not 1 single player in my 60 years has ever,or will ever be, unbeatable.rick6725-10-2026
- I think it's great to see Mark Webster looking good,good ladrick6725-10-2026
- I agree,I can't believe the lack of coverage of this sad loss. Always enjoyed watching him,but I guess now it's all about littler,well it seems that way. Darts has sadly lost a good manrick6717-10-2026
- In the absence of a report regarding the death of Stefan Lord, I'll assist. An excellent player in the late 70s and early 80s, he actually won the now defunct 3rd place match at two World Championships and a couple of the News of the World Championships. A fabulous player and easily the best Swedish player ever. Rest peacefully Stefan.richieburnettrocks16-10-2026
- Joking aside, it is the second most watched sport on sky (more than golf, F1 etc) behind football only, and in participation is second to only football and swimming. It doesn't get the attention or sponsorship of "bigger" sports because it's not as sexy, but it's right up there.BandB13-10-2026