“What I didn’t like tonight was that he kept berating himself way too often” – Wayne Mardle concerned over Luke Humphries in the battle to qualify for the play-offs

Luke Humphries receives clear warnings as he chases a play-off spot in the Premier League Darts. According to former pro Wayne Mardle, the Englishman’s issue right now lies less in his game and more in his behavior on stage.

The reigning Premier League champion has endured a difficult start to the season. After nine nights, Humphries is still waiting for his first nightly title and in Manchester he suffered another setback. In the quarterfinals, Gerwyn Price proved too strong with a 6-2 win.

With only one final appearance so far, Humphries’ form lags behind the dominance he showed last year. In the current standings he sits sixth, outside the coveted top four.

According to Mardle, the crux of the problem is not his scoring power or class. “What I didn’t like tonight was that he kept berating himself way too often,” said the Sky Sports analyst. “Every time he missed a treble actually, which is not like him.”

Humphries’ reaction to misses worries Mardle. He sees it as a possible sign that the pressure is starting to build. “So I don’t know if he is feeling under pressure, I have no idea. I don’t know if it is table-oriented. I don’t know if it’s the fact that he should be winning.”

Even so, Mardle stresses that Humphries’ qualities are beyond doubt. “But when he is at it he will win. He’s got to be confident and he is still in a good position."

The former darter believes the key lies in the final stretch of the campaign. “It is still in his hands and there are still enough points to pick up. If he plays well for the run-in and I don’t mean from next week, the last four or five weeks, I think he will be absolutely fine.”

Mardle also expects the battle for the top four to go in many directions. The margins are small and several players are still in contention for a play-off spot.

“To me, it feels like there is only one position,” he analysed. “Don’t rule out Van Veen, Michael van Gerwen, Humphries.” Other names remain in the hunt, he said. “I am not saying Bunting cannot get in there. Rock just kind of wants to get himself going again.”

According to Mardle, the schedule in the closing weeks will be decisive. “Come that last week or penultimate week of the league phase, it is going to be paramount who you are playing. Not just who you beat, who you are playing. If you beat the right people, you are laughing."

At the same time, he warns about direct rivals. “When you are chasing that play-off place, you cannot lose to those above you until maybe the last week, where someone has sailed off into the sunset.”

On Thursday, 04/09/2026, Humphries gets his next chance to pick up points in the play-off race. In host city Brighton, he faces Jonny Clayton in the quarterfinals.