Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Michael Smith, Nathan Aspinall, Gerwyn Price, Rob Cross and Peter Wright all feature in 2024 Premier League Darts, live on Sky Sports from February 1; tournament runs until May 23 with Play-Offs at London’s O2 Arena
By Ali Stafford
Last Updated: 04/01/24 4:53pm
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Take a look back at the astonishing debut from Luke Littler as the teenager made history at the World Darts Championship
Take a look back at the astonishing debut from Luke Littler as the teenager made history at the World Darts Championship
Teenage sensation Luke Littler has been handed a Premier League debut after his sensational run to the World Darts Championship final.
The 16-year-old captured the interest of the sporting world with his remarkable rookie appearance at Alexandra Palace, where he broke a host of world records and helped generate the highest viewing figures in the tournament’s history on his way to a runner-up finish.
Littler became the youngest player to win a World Darts Championship match and fired the best average by a debutant, with the rising star brushing aside UK Open winner Andrew Gilding, childhood hero Raymond van Barneveld and former world champion Rob Cross.
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Highlights of the 2024 World Darts Championship final between world No 1 Luke Humphries and teenager Luke Littler
Luke Humphries called for him to be included in the Premier League line-up after recovering from 4-2 down to beat the new fans’ favourite 7-4 in an enthralling final, with the PDC now confirming that Littler is among the eight names confirmed for the 2024 campaign.
“It’s unbelievable,” Littler told Sky Sports News. “No more development tour. This is it. Playing in the Premier League and comfortably in the (world’s top) 32.
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Wayne Mardle and John Part look at what the future holds for Luke Littler, after the 16-year-old narrowly missed out on a debut world title.
“As soon as I came off the stage, did the media and saw the family, my manager pulled me aside and said, ‘Do you want to do it?’ I said, ‘Let’s do it, it might not happen again’.
“I’ll probably have to take a break maybe from a few ProTours but I knew what was coming as soon as I said yes to the Premier League. This is just going to be an incredible experience.”
The Premier League will be staged on Thursday nights from February until May, starting at the Utilita Arena in Cardiff on February 1, with all 17 weeks from venues across the UK and Europe exclusively live on Sky Sports.
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World Darts Champion Luke Humphries says he expects many more battles against Luke Litter in the years to come
New world champion Humphries will headline this year’s edition after claiming four major titles in three months, having also won the World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship, with the 28-year-old now making a full Premier League debut after appearing as one of the ‘contenders’ during the 2019 format.
“[The Premier League] is my next target,” Humphries told Sky Sports. “This is going to be the toughest Premier League that we’ve ever seen and is going to be incredibly, incredibly tough to win.
“That is definitely one of the things on my résumé now that I’ll need to tick off, being Premier League champion.
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Luke Humphries said ‘I can’t ask for more’ after claiming the World Darts Championship title by defeating teenager Luke Littler
“I fortunately missed out last year. I was so close to being involved, and the PDC made the right decision to leave me out because I went on to prove them wrong and pick up some incredible trophies this year. I’ll be really looking forward to it.”
Seven-time Premier League winner Michael van Gerwen will return as defending champion after successfully retaining his title last year, with the Dutchman looking to bounce back from his shock quarter-final exit to Scott Williams at the World Championship.
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Take a look at the best of the action from Finals Night of the 2023 Premier League in London, where Michael van Gerwen took the title
Last year’s runner-up Gerwyn Price is included and former world champion Michael Smith – who lost his world No 1 ranking with his fourth-round exit at Alexandra Palace – is back again with the current top six on the PDC Order of Merit included in the eight-man line-up.
2019 runner-up and former world champion Rob Cross is involved after failing to earn a spot in the previous two editions and Nathan Apsinall retains his place, while two-time world champion Peter Wright – who dropped to eighth in the world after a disappointing World Championship – features for an 11th consecutive year.
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The Sky Sports darts team discuss why it’s right for Luke Littler to be included in this year’s Premier League
When is the 2024 Premier League?
The 2024 BetMGM Premier League Darts season will begin in Cardiff on the first day of February, with each of the 16 league nights featuring a mini-event where the eight players compete down to a winner.
Berlin, Glasgow, Newcastle and Exeter host events in February, before the Premier League roadshow heads to Brighton, Nottingham, Dublin and Belfast in March.
Manchester, Birmingham, Rotterdam and Liverpool are the cities for April’s nights before Aberdeen, Leeds and Sheffield host events in May, with the top four from the final league table progressing to the season-ending Play-Offs in London on May 23.
Premier League Darts returns to Sky Sports on Thursday February 1 as Cardiff kicks off the 17-week extravaganza all the way through to the Play-Offs on Thursday May 23. Stream Sky Sports Darts without a contract through NOW