Luke Littler, 18, makes Premier League history as he beats Van Gerwen in Birmingham to set incredible new record
The Nuke revealed he's dropped out of an upcoming tournament
FIVE STAR Luke Littler, 18, makes Premier League history as he beats Van Gerwen in Birmingham to set incredible new record
LUKE LITTLER has continued his domination in the Darts Premier League with a record-breaking fifth nightly win.
The world champion saw off Michael van Gerwen 6-4 in a Week 13 showdown in Birmingham.
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Luke Littler has won his fifth Premier League night of the season
Credit: Getty
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The 18-year-old continues to smash records in just his season campaign
Credit: Getty
Littler extended his lead at the top of the Premier League standings with victory.
And he also became the first man in the history of the competition to win FIVE nights in a single season.
The Nuke's triumph takes him past his own tally of four from last year, where he won a maiden Premier League title.
Littler averaged 102.50 in the final against MVG, who he also beat in the World Championship final in January.
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It was a slow start to the night for the Warrington teenager, who needed deciding legs against Stephen Bunting and Nathan Aspinall to record 6-5 wins.
The Nuke threw 7 maximums against The Asp - but was just 6 from 17 on his doubles.
It came after he broke yet another record in the win over Bunting.
The 18-year-old managed to notch up his 129th 180 of the season.
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It surpassed the previous record of 128 - set by himself last term - for the most 180s in a single Premier League campaign.
And Littler did it with four nights of the season remaining, including the final at London's O2 Arena.
Luke Littler lands new role as darts star teams up with Deliveroo to find the best kebab in the country
Prior to the match, Bunting pleaded: "I don't want to wind him up too much because I've got him in that first game!
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"I'll probably leave it until after the game, and hopefully I can get a result against him."
Littler told Sky: "I'm very happy.
"Once I got over the finish line against Stephen I was confident.
"I'm confident now that I'll stay at No1."
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Earlier on Thursday, Littler withdrew from this weekend's European Darts Grand Prix.
The 18-year-old will be the only player ranked in the PDC top 20 to miss the event in Sindelfingen, Germany.
Premier League Darts 2025
THE Premier League Darts is back with eight players vying for massive prize money and Luke Littler's crown.
The teenager, who went on to win the world title in December, won the Premier League in 2024 and will be looking to defend his crown over 18 thrilling weeks.
There were two new entries this season, with Stephen Bunting and Chris Dobey replacing Peter Wright and Michael Smith.
Luke Humphries, Rob Cross, Michael van Gerwen, Gerwyn Price and Nathan Aspinall keep their place in what will be a hotly-contested title race.
INFORMATION Full schedule and results, dates, TV and live stream info
Latest standings as we head to Finals night
How much prize money is on offer in the Premier League?
LATEST DARTS NEWS Aspinall reveals shoulder was DISLOCATED before Premier League tie
Michael van Gerwen will NOT represent the Netherlands at the World Cup
Luke Littler to appear in special outdoor darts event
SEASON SO FAR Night One - Belfast
Night Two - Glasgow
Night Three - Dublin
Night Four - Exeter
Night Five - Brighton
Night Six - Nottingham
Night Seven - Cardiff
Night Eight - Newcastle
Night Nine - Berlin
Night 10 - Manchester
Night 11 - Rotterdam
Night 12 - Liverpool
His absence will not be a shock to many fans, given his tumultuous relationship with German darts crowds.
In Berlin last month, Littler was greeted with hostility ahead of his quarter-final match against Chris Dobey.
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Some members of the crowd booed the world champion, who responded by making gestures.
Littler was also booed at the German Darts Grand Prix in Munich two weeks ago.
After the event, he took to social media to share his discontent and claimed he would not be back in Germany until October.
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