Which players are set to rise through the PDC rankings in the coming season?

The new darts season is upon us again, which means that many ranking tournaments will be played again in the coming months.

This is the perfect opportunity for players who are in good shape to move up further in the world rankings, especially when these players have little or no prize money to defend.

Gian van Veen had a fantastic season in 2023 in his first year as a Tour Card holder, with a final on the floor, two quarterfinals on the Euro Tour and a semifinal at the European Darts Championship. In addition, the world number 43 finished atop the Development Tour this year and was in the final of the PDC World Youth Championship. In addition to the UK Open, Van Veen is also well placed to qualify for the World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix and thus climb into the top 32 of the world rankings.

The 16-year-old Englishman finished second on the Development Tour in 2023 thanks to five titles and became youth world champion in November. On his debut at the Alexandra Palacemade a fantastic run to the final, where he lost 7-4 in sets to Luke Humphries. His run at the World Darts Championship put Littler well into the world's top 64 and will start his first year as a Tour Card holder as the world's No. 31 player.

Ryan Joyce had an outstanding season on the Pro Tour in 2023. The Englishman won one title, finished 11th on the Players Championship Order of Merit and reached the semifinals of the Players Championship Finals. Because of these results, the world number 37 is already almost certain to participate in the World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix.

Gary Anderson had fallen out of the top 16 after somewhat lackluster seasons in 2023. However, the Scot had a good year on the Pro Tour, as he managed to grab three titles. The two-time world champion seems to have found the right form again and with good results at tournaments such as the World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix he could climb into the top 16 again.

Ricardo Pietreczko had the best season of his career in 2023, including a final victory at the German Darts Championship, where he beat Peter Wright in the final without missing a double. The 29-year-old German is already guaranteed participation in theWorld Matchplay and the World Grand Prix and will thus enter the top-32 next season.