Luke Littler: I love playing on the biggest stages of them all

Yahoo

3 days ago

TONGHT'S the night and king of the Premier League Darts oche Luke 'The Nuke' Littler is desperate to hold on to his crown.
The 2025 BetMGM Premier League season will conclude with the Play-Offs in London, as the Warrington teenager and three more of the sport's biggest stars compete for the £275,000 top prize at The O2.
Following 16 nights of compelling action, the darting roadshow will reach a thrilling finale in front of a sold-out crowd of 14,000 fans in the capital.
Reigning champion Littler is aiming to defend the title he famously lifted on debut 12 months ago, having claimed an unprecedented six nightly wins throughout the season.
World number one Luke Humphries will also headline Thursday's star-studded cast, with former finalists Nathan Aspinall and Gerwyn Price completing the semi-final line-up.
However, 'The Nuke' remains the man to beat going into tonight's extravaganza, having amassed 45 points across the league phase – a new tournament record.
The world champion recorded nightly wins in Glasgow, Brighton, Cardiff, Newcastle, Birmingham and Sheffield to secure top spot for a second straight year, and now he has further glory in his sights.
Littler is bidding to become the third player to win back-to-back Premier League titles, with Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen the only others to achieve the feat.
'That is another moment of history that I will be looking at on Thursday night', insisted Littler, priced at 5/6 with title sponsor BetMGM to retain the title.
'It was a totally new experience for me last year. I didn't know what to expect. This year has been absolutely fantastic, and I'm really thankful to be in this position.
'I'm really excited to be back at The O2, and hopefully I can become the third player to go back-to-back.
'I love playing on the biggest stages of them all. The last 16 weeks have been unbelievable, but Thursday night is the big one; I cannot wait to get going.'
Littler will play 2023 runner-up Price in tonight's opening semi-final, as the Welshman embarks on his second Play-Off appearance.
Price has enjoyed a welcome return to form in this year's Premier League, securing a hat-trick of nightly victories, while also landing nine-dart finishes in Manchester and Aberdeen respectively.
His first nine-darter of the campaign came against Littler on Night Ten, and despite the teenager's record-breaking exploits, Price is relishing the pair's latest showdown.
Littler has won their two most recent meetings, although Price had won their previous six – the longest-winning run any player has enjoyed against the Warrington wonderkid.
'It really doesn't bother me who I play. I know if I'm going to win, I have to perform at my best,' declared the 2020/21 world champion.
'I'm just focused on myself, and if my A-game is there, then I believe I will win this title.
'I wasn't sure whether I'd ever make the Play-Offs again. This hasn't been the greatest tournament for me in the past, so I'm over moon to be back.
'I haven't been ultra-consistent this year, but I've done enough. My frame of mind has been more positive, and my game is in a much better place as a result.'
Tonight's second semi-final will see world number one Humphries and 2020 runner-up Aspinall go head-to-head, with both men chasing maiden Premier League success.
Humphries' haul of nightly wins in Belfast, Exeter and Leeds guided him to a second-place finish for the second straight year, and now he's aiming to improve upon his run to the final 12 months ago.
The 30-year-old was beaten by an inspired Littler in last year's showpiece, but he's confident of adding the iconic Premier League crown to his extensive haul of silverware.
'This is the big title missing from my CV, so I really want to go and lift that trophy now,' claimed 2024 runner-up Humphries.
'Overall I think it's been another strong campaign, but it's all about what happens on Thursday night.
'I think if you look at our previous games, Nathan seems to play well against me, and I usually perform well against him, so that's a recipe for a great game tomorrow!
'I think this is one of the toughest tournaments to win, and if I can go all the way, it would mean so much to me.'
Aspinall, meanwhile, is featuring in the Play-Offs for the first time since 2021, having seen off seven-time champion Michael van Gerwen to secure a top four finish.
The Stockport star also overhauled Price on Night 16 to finish the league phase in third position, and his reward is a long-awaited debut at The O2.
'This will be an amazing feeling for me and my family,' admitted Aspinall, who is relishing the prospect of fulfilling a darting dream in the capital.
'It's a really proud moment for me in my darting career, but I can't get too emotionally attached to the occasion.
'It is a great achievement to make the final four, but I don't want this to be the pinnacle, I want to be the winner.
'I've worked so hard behind the scenes to get back to this level, and I feel like I'm not far away from being back to my best.'
The 2025 Premier League sees eight of the sport's biggest names contesting 16 mini-events during the season, with each league night comprising quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final over the best of 11 legs.
Ranking points will be awarded per night - with five to the winner, three to the runner-up and two to the semi-finalists - to form the league table from which the top four players will progress to the Play-Offs at The O2 in London on Thursday, May 29.
The 2025 BetMGM Premier League will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK & Ireland, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV for rest of the world subscribers (outside of the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Switzerland).
Thursday May 29, The O2, London
Semi-Finals (Best of 19 legs)
Luke Littler v Gerwyn Price - 7.15pm
Luke Humphries v Nathan Aspinall - 8.15pm
Final (Best of 21 legs)
Littler/Price v Humphries/Aspinall - 9.30pm
(Image: PDC)
Quarter-Finals
Luke Littler 6-1 Stephen Bunting
Nathan Aspinall 6-2 Michael van Gerwen
Luke Humphries 6-4 Rob Cross
Chris Dobey 6-5 Gerwyn Price
Semi-Finals
Luke Littler 6-4 Nathan Aspinall
Luke Humphries 6-2 Chris Dobey
Final
Luke Littler 6-3 Luke Humphries
Each of the 16 nights will see quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final played over the best of 11 legs (first to six)
Players will face each other twice in quarter-final ties throughout the season, with the fixtures being balanced for players to be in opposite halves of the draw in an equal number of weeks
The fixtures for Night 8 and Night 16 will be based on the league table following Night 7 and Night 15 respectively (1 v 8, 2 v 7, 3 v 6, 4 v 5)
The top four players from the final league table will progress to the Play-Offs, which will feature the semi-finals over the best of 19 legs and the final over the best of 21 legs
The order of throw for all league night matches will be decided by a bull-off, which will be conducted beforehand in the practice room. For the Play-Offs, the semi-finals will see the higher-placed player from the final league table throw first, with a bull-off for the final.
Night Winner - 5 points + £10,000 bonus
Runner-Up - 3 points
Semi-Finalists - 2 points
Winner - £275,000
Runner-Up - £125,000
Semi-Finalists - £85,000 each
Fifth in League Table - £75,000
Sixth in League Table - £70,000
Seventh in League Table - £65,000
Eighth in League Table - £60,000
Nightly Winner Bonus - £10,000 x16
Total - £1million
Night 1 - The SSE Arena, Belfast, Thursday February 6 (Humphries defeated Dobey 6-1 in final)
Night 2 - OVO Hydro, Glasgow, Thursday February 13 (Littler defeated Humphries 6-5 in final)
Luke Littler with his Premier League Darts Night 2 trophy in Glasgow (Image: PA Wire)
Night 3 - 3Arena, Dublin, Thursday February 20 (Price defeated Aspinall 6-3 in final)
Night 4 - Westpoint Exeter, Thursday February 27 (Humphries beat Littler 6-4 in final)
Night 5 - The Brighton Centre, Thursday March 6 (Littler beat Aspinall 6-3 in final)
Night 6 - Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham, Thursday March 13 (Price beat Littler 6-3 in final)
Night 7 - Utilita Arena, Cardiff, Thursday March 20 (Littler beat Van Gerwen 6-4 in final)
Night 8 - Utilita Arena, Newcastle, Thursday March 27 (Littler beat Humphries 6-1 in final)
Night 9 - Uber Arena, Berlin, Thursday April 3 (Bunting beat Price 6-5 in final)
Night 10 - AO Arena, Manchester, Thursday April 10 (Aspinall beat Humphries 6-4)
Night 11 - Rotterdam Ahoy, Thursday April 17 (Dobey beat Bunting 6-2)
Night 12 - M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool, Thursday April 24 (Price beat Humphries 6-4)
Night 13 - Utilita Arena, Birmingham, Thursday May 1 (Littler beat Van Gerwen 6-4)
Night 14 - First Direct Arena, Leeds, Thursday May 8 (Humphries beat Littler 6-5)
Night 15 - P&J Live, Aberdeen, Thursday May 15 (Aspinall beat Dobey 6-1)
Night 16 - Utilita Arena, Sheffield, Thursday May 22 (Littler beat Humphries 6-3)
Play-Offs - The O2, London, Thursday May 29
2005 - Phil Taylor defeated Colin Lloyd 16-4
2006 - Phil Taylor def Roland Scholten 16-6
2007 - Phil Taylor def Terry Jenkins 16-6
2008 - Phil Taylor def James Wade 16-8
2009 - James Wade def Mervyn King 13-8
2010 - Phil Taylor def James Wade 10-8
2011 - Gary Anderson def Adrian Lewis 10-4
2012 - Phil Taylor def Simon Whitlock 10-7
2013 - Michael van Gerwen def Phil Taylor 10-8
2014 - Raymond van Barneveld def Michael van Gerwen 10-6
2015 - Gary Anderson def Michael van Gerwen 11-7
2016 - Michael van Gerwen def Phil Taylor 11-3
2017 - Michael van Gerwen def Peter Wright 11-10
2018 - Michael van Gerwen def Michael Smith 11-4
2019 - Michael van Gerwen def Rob Cross 11-5
2020 - Glen Durrant def Nathan Aspinall 11-8
2021 - Jonny Clayton def Jose de Sousa 11-5
2022 - Michael van Gerwen def Joe Cullen 11-10
2023 - Michael van Gerwen def Gerwyn Price 11-5
2024 - Luke Littler def Luke Humphries 11-7
Luke Littler with the 2024 Premier League Darts title silverware (Image: PDC)
2006 - Raymond van Barneveld v Peter Manley
2010 - Raymond van Barneveld v Terry Jenkins
2010 - Phil Taylor x2 v James Wade (Final)
2012 - Phil Taylor v Kevin Painter
2012 - Simon Whitlock v Andy Hamilton (Semi-Finals)
2016 - Adrian Lewis v James Wade
2017 - Adrian Lewis v Raymond van Barneveld
2020 - Michael Smith v Daryl Gurney
2020 - Peter Wright v Daryl Gurney
2021 - Jonny Clayton v Jose de Sousa
2021 - Jose de Sousa v Nathan Aspinall
2022 - Gerwyn Price v Michael van Gerwen
2022 - Gerwyn Price v James Wade
2024 - Gerwyn Price v Michael Smith
2024 - Luke Littler v Luke Humphries (Final at O2 Arena)
2025 - Luke Humphries v Rob Cross (Night 5)
2025 - Rob Cross v Nathan Aspinall (Night 5)
2025 - Luke Littler v Michael van Gerwen (Night 7 final)
2025 - Gerwyn Price v Luke Littler (Night 10)
2025 - Gerwyn Price v Stephen Bunting (Night 15)
Luke Littler celebrates his nine-darter in the 2024 Premier League Darts final against Luke Humphries (Image: PDC)
World Darts Championship winner at Alexandra Palace, London, defeating Michael van Gerwen 7-3 in the final on January 3
Semi-finalist in Dutch Darts Masters at De Maaspoort, Den Bosch, on January 25
Winner of Premier League Darts Night 2 at OVO Hydro, Glasgow, defeating Luke Humphries 6-5 in the final on February 13
Made honorary citizen of Warrington on February 24
Runner-up of Premier League Darts Night 4 at Westpoint, Exeter, losing 6-4 to Luke Humphries in the final on February 27
Crowned UK Open champion at Butlin's Minehead Resort, overhauling James Wade 11-2 in the final on March 2
Luke Littler, lifts the UK Open 2025 silverware (Image: PDC)
Winner of Premier League Darts Night Five at The Brighton Centre, defeating Nathan Aspinall 6-3 in the final on March 6
Retained the Belgian Darts Open title in Wieze, overcoming Belgian Mike De Decker 8-5 in the final on March 9
Belgian Darts Open winner 2025 (Image: Jenny Segers/PDC Europe)
Runner-up of Premier League Darts Night 6, losing 6-3 to Gerwyn Price in the final at Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham on March 13
Winner of Premier League Darts Night 7 on March 20, hitting a nine-darter in 6-4 final success against Michael van Gerwen at Utilita Arena in Cardiff
Luke Littler celebrates a nine-darter during his match against Michael van Gerwen on Night 7 of the BetMGM PDC Premier League Darts at Utilita Arena, Cardiff (Image: David Davies/PA Wire)
Winner of Premier Darts League Night 8 in Newcastle on March 27, overhauling Luke Humphries 6-1 in the final
Recipient of first Warrington Inspiration Icon Award, revealed on April 23 at the Village Hotel, recognising his achievements on and off the darts board
Luke Littler, who was presented with his Warrington Inspiration Icon Award by Warrington Guardian sports editor Mike Parsons (Image: Newsquest) Winner of Premier Darts League Night 13 in Birmingham on May 1, defeating Michael van Gerwen 6-4 in the final to become the first player to win five nightly titles in one Premier League campaign
Luke Littler celebrates his fifth nightly win of the 2025 BetMGM Premier League Darts calendar (Image: PA Wire)
Runner-up of Premier League Darts Night 14 at First Direct Arena in Leeds on May 8, falling 6-5 to Luke Humphries in the final
Winner of Premier League Darts Night 16 at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield, overcoming Luke Humphries 6-3 in the final. It was his sixth nightly win of the league phase, which is a record. He topped the league table with 45 points, another record, to qualify for the Play-Offs at The O2 as the number one seed.
Luke Littler was crowned champion on debut after beating Luke Humphries 11-7 in the play-offs final at O2 Arena in London on May 23. He threw his fourth nine-darter of the year (in all competitions) in the victory
Luke Littler won a record-equalling four of the weekly rounds – Night 9 in Belfast, Night 10 in Manchester, Night 13 in Liverpool, Night 14 in Aberdeen
Luke Littler topped the league table with a record-equalling 40pts after 16 rounds