3 minute read
Following Luke Humphries' victory over Luke Littler in PDC World Championship final in early-January, both players have been included in the eight-man Premier League Darts line-up for the 2024 season.
Neither individual was part of the 2023 octet, with the 17-week competition won for a seventh time by Michael van Gerwen. The 2024 series, however, appears to be one of the most open tournaments in recent years.
The two Lukes, and Van Gerwen, will be joined by Gerwyn Price, Nathan Aspinall, Michael Smith, Peter Wright – competitors in 2023 – with Rob Cross the other addition for this campaign. We run down the bookies' contenders heading to Cardiff for Night One on Thursday, February 1.
Luke Humphries – 9/4 to win the Premier League
2023 World Champion Luke Humphries has enjoyed a phenomenal four months, winning four of the last five PDC Major Events. 'Cool Hand Luke' ended the 2023 season by winning 36 of 40 individual matches, claiming the World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals, in addition to his world success.
He's currently first in the PDC Order of Merit and leads the PDC in three-dart average (99.55) over the past three months, has the most 180s (220) - 70 ahead of his nearest rival – and boasts the highest percentage of legs won against the throw (50.48%).
Humphries is 7/4 to finish top of the Premier League table, 1/4 to reach the last four, 5/4 to hit the most tournament 180s and 6/1 to hit a nine-dart finish at some point over the competition.
Michael van Gerwen – 7/2
Seven-time PL champion Michael van Gerwen can never be written off in this format. The Dutchman enjoyed three night victories in 2023 before beating Michael Smith 10-8 in the semi-finals and Gerwyn Price 11-5 to claim the title.
Second in the PDC Order of Merit, the 34-year-old was fourth in the world in 2023 in three-dart average (98.29), 10th in 180s hit (495) and surprisingly 38th in checkout percentage at 39.78%. He was knocked out of the World Championships at the quarter-final stage by unseeded Scott Williams.
He's 7/2 to top the group, 40/1 to finish bottom, 8/1 to hit the most tournament 180s and 2/5 to reach the semi-final stage.
Luke Littler – 5/1
The 16-year-old prodigy took the 2024 World Championship by storm, reaching the final before losing out to Humphries in a thrilling contest. Those who kept track of the youngster in 2023 could have had an inkling that a strong performance was possible on the grandest stage
Littler has hosted a three-dart average of 99.44 since October 1 last year – the second highest in the world behind Humphries. He also claimed a plethora of minor titles including the British Classic, British Open, Gibraltar Open and earned a quartet of victories on the MODUS Super Series
'The Nuke' is 4/6 to reach the final four, 2/1 to hit the most 180s and a backable 12/1 to finish bottom of the table – it is unknown whether the youngster can maintain his performance through the gruelling 17-week schedule.
Gerwyn Price – 6/1
Given his last PDC Major success came in 2022, Gerwyn Price will be keen to showcase form during the Premier League campaign as he aims to go one better than he did in 2023. 'The Iceman' topped the league table last season with four night victories, but came unstuck against van Gerwen in the final.
Price averaged 98.60 across 2023, the third-highest three-dart average in the world. He was also fourth in 180s (570), sixth in checkout percentage (42.14%) and was the world leader with his first three darts of a leg (108.68).
The Welshman is 6/1 to win the tournament, 6/1 to top the league table for a second successive year and 11/2 to hit the most 180s in the competition. He is also 7/1 to record a nine-dart finish at some point in the league.
The four other competitors for the tournament are priced as follows: 2022 World Champion Michael Smith is 8/1, 2019 Premier League runner-up Rob Cross is 10/1, with 2020 runner-up Nathan Aspinall out at 22/1. Two-time world champion Peter Wright concludes the line-up priced at 28/1.
