These are the five Must Watch matches in the first round of the 2024 World Grand Prix

We will kick off the 2024 World Grand Prix on Monday night. A field of 32 players will compete for the title at the event in Leicester, where a week of spectacle can be expected.

It is usually fireworks right away in the first round of the World Grand Prix. Because only eight players have protected status in the draw, we often get some great crackers in the first round. The draw did not disappoint again this year.

The World Grand Prix is a unique event on the PDC calendar. This tournament is the only event where legs are started and ended with a double. Because of this format, the World Grand Prix is known for its surprises, with often early eliminations of big names.

On Monday and Tuesday, the first round is scheduled. Eight matches will be played on both days of play. According to Dartsnews.com, these are the five Must Watch matches to look forward to.

The last match prior to the World Grand Prix was between Luke Humphries and Stephen Bunting and in Leicester the two Englishmen face each other again. Humphries and Bunting met in the final of Players Championship 26, with the win going to Humphries after a deciding leg.

Both men are having excellent seasons. Humphries started the year in sensational fashion with the world title, and went on to win five more titles. Bunting set the tone of a good year by winning the Masters in February. 'The Bullet' also went on to reach five finals on the Players Championship circuit, but lost them all.

In the head-to-head, Humphries leads 10-5. 'Cool Hand Luke' won four of the six encounters in 2024. One of Bunting's wins over his compatriot was in his run of wins at the Masters.

A cracker of a lifetime. The former world champion against the new face of darts. The two players also faced each other in the semifinals of the World Darts Championship, where Luke Littler won against Rob Cross 6-2 in sets after a spectacular match.

In terms of titles, Littler has become the most successful player of 2024. No less than PDC titles 'The Nuke' already managed to win, including the Premier League Darts and the World Series Finals. However, these majors do not count toward the world rankings, which means Littler is still 20th in the world rankings. Cross is the number four player in the world rankings. 'Voltage' has two titles under his belt in 2024; a Euro Tour and a World Series tournament.

Both Englishmen met eight times already this season. In the Premier League, Cross won once from Littler, and that also the only time 'Voltage' won from his compatriot. Littler took the win in the other seven encounters.

We have seen this matchup before this year. Also at the World Matchplay, Gary Anderson and his former protégé Michael Smith faced each other. Anderson then started the match convincingly, leading 3-0, but then fell completely silent. Smith then pulled ahead 10-5.

The last time Anderson won from Smith was some time ago. In April 2022, 'The Flying Scotsman' last triumphed against 'Bullyboy,' who is now six duels unbeaten against his old teacher. In the mutual balance, Smith now leads 16-15 against Anderson.

In terms of form, however, Anderson is the big favorite to advance to the second round at the World Grand Prix. The two-time world champion is sprinkling in bizarrely high averages on the Pro Tour and has already been successful twice this year on the Players Championship circuit. Smith's highlight was winning the World Cup of Darts, while the Englishman also clinched a Players Championship tournament.

A big name will also go home in this match. Two-time world champion Peter Wright was paired in the draw with James Wade, who managed to win this tournament in 2007 and 2010.

Both Wright and Wade did not have a good first half of the season, but have begun to return to form in recent months. Wade underlined his good form with a semifinal finish at the World Matchplay and a spot in the last four at a Players Championship tournament. Wright made his presence felt by winning the German Darts Championship, one of the Euro Tour tournaments.

Wade and Wright have faced each other no less than 51 times in their careers. The balance is almost balanced. Wright won 26 times, while Wade emerged victorious 24 times. Once both men drew when that was still possible in the old format of Premier League Darts.

Perhaps a non-obvious choice, but we expect a lot from this match. Two men who have been in good form since the summer. Perhaps also two similar types; often good at scoring, but sloppy on the doubles. Don't be surprised if in this match someone is going to win a leg while the other player has yet to open his.

Chisnall had a super month in September. Two titles, another final, two semi-finals and two quarter-finals made the money flow in for 'Chizzy' last month. That was followed by another semifinal in August, after which he even reached the final of Players Championship 19. 'Cammy''s annual average has skyrocketed in recent months. The tally now stands at 96.47; only nine players on the PDC Tour have a better annual average than Menzies.

Over the years, Chisnall and Menzies played each other seven times. Five times Chisnall drew the longest, and twice Menzies won. The Scot did win the most recent showdown. At the end of August, Menzies won 6-1 over Chisnall, who has reached the World Grand Prix final twice in his career. For Menzies, it will be his debut at the double-in double-out tournament.