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Current season, competition or edition: 2024 Premier League Darts | |
Founded | 2005 |
---|---|
First season | 2005 |
Organising body | PDC |
Countries | United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands, Germany |
Most recent champion(s) | Luke Littler (2024) |
Tournament format | Legs |
2024 Premier League Darts |
Premier League Darts, known for sponsorship purposes in 2024 as BetMGM Premier League Darts, is a darts tournament which launched on 20 January 2005 on Sky Sports. Now played weekly from February to May, the event originally started as a fortnightly fixture in small venues around the United Kingdom. The tournament originally featured seven players, gradually expanded to ten by 2013, before reduced again from 2022 to eight players from the Professional Darts Corporation circuit competing in a knockout style format, with nights also hosted in Europe at different venues. The top four players in the PDC Order of Merit are joined by four wildcard selections to make up the eight-person field. Alongside the World Championship and the World Matchplay, it is considered part of the sport's Triple Crown.
While active, Phil Taylor dominated the event, winning six of the thirteen tournaments he appeared in. He went unbeaten throughout the first three seasons before James Wade ended his 44 match run in the first match of the 2008 season. A new champion was to be crowned after Mervyn King defeated him in the 2009 semi-finals, where Wade defeated King 13–8 in the final, to pick up the £125,000 first prize. Taylor defeated Wade the following season to claim his fifth title in the competition in 2010, achieving two nine-dart finishes in the final, the only player to achieve this accomplishment.
Although there have been eight overall winners of the Premier League, the league stage has been dominated by Taylor and Michael van Gerwen, with Taylor topping the table for each of the first eight editions and van Gerwen winning the next seven. In 2020, Glen Durrant became the third player to finish top after all league fixtures had been completed. He went on to win the title, meaning all three players both topped the table and won the play-offs at their first attempt. In 2024, this feat was then repeated by Luke Littler who became the fourth player to both top the table following the completion of the league stage and then win the play-offs on their debut Premier League appearance.
The prize fund has risen from £265,000 in the early years of the tournament, steadily increasing each year for a prize fund of £1,000,000 in 2022. The winner currently receives £275,000.
The matches have been broadcast on Thursday nights on Sky Sports since the tournament inception. Originally the league alternated with Premier League Snooker one week and Premier League Darts the next. From 2006, the snooker moved to late autumn – giving the Premier League darts a straight weekly run in the spring.
American sports channel OLN aired the 2006 Premier League Darts season on a slight delay, in August 2006. In 2018, BBC America started airing Premier League Darts on Thursday nights. In 2020, BBC America started airing Premier League Darts on Sunday mornings.
German sports channel Sport1 broadcasts most matches live on TV and gives coverages of a selection of matches.
The PDC announced in December 2017 that the contract with Sky Television for coverage of the Premier League had been extended to 2025. [1]
Rank | Player | Won | Runner-up | Finals | Appearances |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Michael van Gerwen | 7 | 2 | 9 | 11 |
2 | Phil Taylor | 6 | 2 | 8 | 13 |
3 | Gary Anderson | 2 | 0 | 2 | 11 |
4 | James Wade | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 |
5 | Raymond van Barneveld | 1 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
Glen Durrant | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
Jonny Clayton | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
Luke Littler | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
9 | Colin Lloyd | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Roland Scholten | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
Terry Jenkins | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
Mervyn King | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Adrian Lewis | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |
Simon Whitlock | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
Peter Wright | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | |
Michael Smith | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
Rob Cross | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
Nathan Aspinall | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
José de Sousa | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
Joe Cullen | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
Gerwyn Price | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
Luke Humphries | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Country | Players | Total | First title | Last title |
---|---|---|---|---|
England | 4 | 9 | 2005 | 2024 |
Netherlands | 2 | 8 | 2013 | 2023 |
Scotland | 1 | 2 | 2011 | 2015 |
Wales | 1 | 1 | 2021 | 2021 |
Sixteen nine-dart finishes have been thrown in the Premier League. The first one was in 2006, and the most recent one was in 2024.
Player | Year (+ Week) | Location | Method | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Raymond van Barneveld | 2006, Week 5 | Bournemouth | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Peter Manley | 8–3 |
Raymond van Barneveld | 2010, Week 12 | Aberdeen | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Terry Jenkins | 8–6 |
Phil Taylor | 2010, Final | London | T20, 2 x T19; 3 x T20; T20, T17, D18 | James Wade | 10–8 |
3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | |||||
Phil Taylor | 2012, Week 2 | Aberdeen | 3 x T20; T20, 2 x T19; T20, T17, D18 | Kevin Painter | 8–5 |
Simon Whitlock | 2012, Semi-Final | London | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T15, D18 | Andy Hamilton | 8–6 |
Adrian Lewis | 2016, Week 11 | Belfast | 3 x T20; 2 x T20, T19; 2 x T20, D12 | James Wade | 7–5 |
Adrian Lewis | 2017, Week 11 | Liverpool | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Raymond van Barneveld | 7–4 |
Michael Smith | 2020, Week 4 | Dublin | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Daryl Gurney | 7–5 |
Peter Wright | 2020, Night 11 | Milton Keynes | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Daryl Gurney | 6–8 |
Jonny Clayton | 2021, Night 3 | Milton Keynes | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | José de Sousa | 7–3 |
José de Sousa | 2021, Night 4 | Milton Keynes | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Nathan Aspinall | 6–6 |
Gerwyn Price | 2022, Night 3 | Belfast | 2 x T20, T19; 3 x T20; 2 x T20, D12 | Michael van Gerwen | 6–5 |
3 x T20; 3 x T20; T19, T20, D12 | James Wade | 6–4 | |||
2024, Night 10 | Manchester | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T19, T20, D12 | Michael Smith | 6–3 | |
Luke Littler | 2024, Final | London | 3 x T20, 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Luke Humphries | 11–7 |
Year | Player | Legs | Player |
---|---|---|---|
2007 | 87.32 Terry Jenkins | 0–8 | Colin Lloyd 88.43 |
2008 | 96.97 Phil Taylor | 8–0 | Wayne Mardle 88.43 |
2012 | 96.97 James Wade | 8–0 | Simon Whitlock 80.79 |
2014 | 99.45 Phil Taylor | 0–7 | Michael van Gerwen 109.59 |
2015 | 93.93 James Wade | 0–7 | Michael van Gerwen 116.90 |
2016 | 75.68 Robert Thornton | 0–7 | Dave Chisnall 101.16 |
2016 | 88.38 Robert Thornton | 0–7 | Phil Taylor 102.15 |
2017 | 94.53 Adrian Lewis | 0–7 | Michael van Gerwen 110.75 |
2018 | 96.58 Raymond van Barneveld | 0–7 | Michael Smith 103.15 |
2019 | 94.45 Daryl Gurney | 0–7 | James Wade 109.59 |
2020 | 81.24 Jermaine Wattimena | 0–7 | Gerwyn Price 102.15 |
2021 | 84.42 Glen Durrant | 0–7 | Dimitri Van den Bergh 93.94 |
2022 | 99.10 Michael van Gerwen | 6–0 | Peter Wright 87.52 |
2023 | 100.36 Michael van Gerwen | 0–6 | Chris Dobey 101.33 |
2023 | 100.20 Michael van Gerwen | 6–0 | Nathan Aspinall 93.00 |
Ten highest Premier League one-match averages | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Average | Player | Year (+ Round) | Opponent | Result |
123.40 | Michael van Gerwen | 2016, Week 4 | Michael Smith | 7–1 |
119.50 | Peter Wright | 2017, Week 5 | Adrian Lewis | 7–2 |
117.95 | Michael van Gerwen | 2016, Week 10 | Robert Thornton | 7–5 |
117.35 | Phil Taylor | 2012, Week 4 | Simon Whitlock | 8–4 |
116.90 | Michael van Gerwen | 2015, Week 12 | James Wade | 7–0 |
116.67 | Michael van Gerwen | 2016, Week 5 | Peter Wright | 7–2 |
116.10 | Phil Taylor | 2012, Week 13 | James Wade | 8–1 |
116.01 | Phil Taylor | 2009, Week 12 | John Part | 8–3 |
115.97 | Gerwyn Price | 2023, Week 11 | Chris Dobey | 6–2 |
115.80 | Phil Taylor | 2015, Week 7 | Raymond van Barneveld | 4–7 |
Five highest tournament averages | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Average | Player | Year | ||
107.48 | Michael van Gerwen | 2016 | ||
106.73 | Phil Taylor | 2012 | ||
105.26 | Michael van Gerwen | 2015 | ||
104.68 | Michael van Gerwen | 2017 | ||
104.11 | Michael van Gerwen | 2018 |
Since the tournament made its debut in 2005, Phil Taylor made an appearance in every Premier League competition until his retirement following the 2018 PDC World Darts Championship. Raymond van Barneveld competed in every Premier League from 2006 to 2019. From 2005 until the 2010 tournament, the top six players in the PDC Order of Merit after the PDC World Darts Championship automatically qualified, with one wildcard (2005 and 2006) and two wildcards (2007–2010) chosen by either the PDC or Sky Sports. From the 2011 tournament, only the top four in the PDC Order of Merit automatically qualified, with four wildcards (2011 and 2012) chosen by both the PDC and Sky Sports. In 2013, the tournament grew from eight players to ten, with the top four players in the PDC Order of Merit automatically qualifying and six other players chosen as Wildcards on the basis of their performance in the past year or in earlier editions of the Premier League. In 2022, the tournament shrank back down to eight.
In 2024, both Luke Humphries and Luke Littler have made their debuts, with Littler, aged 17 years and 11 days when the 2024 campaign began, the youngest ever competitor in the Premier League. Littler would also become the youngest player to win the Premier League, aged 17 years and 123 days.
Player | # | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Phil Taylor | 13 | W | W | W | W | SF | W | SF | W | RU | SF | 5 | RU | SF | × | ||||||
Colin Lloyd | 3 | RU | SF | 5 | × | ||||||||||||||||
Peter Manley | 4 | SF | 6 | 6 | 6 | × | |||||||||||||||
Roland Scholten | 3 | SF | RU | 8 | × | ||||||||||||||||
Mark Dudbridge | 1 | 5 | × | ||||||||||||||||||
John Part | 3 | 6 | × | 8 | 6 | × | |||||||||||||||
Wayne Mardle | 4 | 7 | 7 | × | 5 | WD | × | ||||||||||||||
Raymond van Barneveld | 14 | × | SF | SF | SF | SF | 6 | SF | 5 | SF | W | SF | 7 | 6 | 6 | 9 | × | ||||
Ronnie Baxter | 2 | × | 5 | × | 5 | × | |||||||||||||||
Terry Jenkins | 5 | × | RU | 7 | 5 | 8 | 7 | × | |||||||||||||
Dennis Priestley | 1 | × | SF | × | C | × | |||||||||||||||
Adrian Lewis | 10 | × | 7 | SF | C | 7 | RU | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | SF | 8 | × | |||||||
James Wade | 12 | × | RU | W | RU | 5 | SF | SF | × | 7 | 6 | 7 | × | SF | × | 6 | SF | × | |||
Mervyn King | 2 | × | RU | SF | × | ||||||||||||||||
Jelle Klaasen | 2 | × | 7 | × | 9 | × | |||||||||||||||
Simon Whitlock | 6 | × | SF | 6 | RU | 6 | 10 | × | 8 | × | |||||||||||
Gary Anderson | 11 | × | C | × | W | 8 | 10 | SF | W | SF | SF | SF | WD | SF | 8 | 8 | × | ||||
Mark Webster | 1 | × | C | × | 8 | × | |||||||||||||||
Andy Hamilton | 2 | × | SF | 7 | × | ||||||||||||||||
Kevin Painter | 1 | × | 7 | × | |||||||||||||||||
Michael van Gerwen | 12 | × | W | RU | RU | W | W | W | W | 6 | SF | W | W | — | |||||||
Robert Thornton | 3 | × | C | × | 5 | 8 | × | 8 | × | ||||||||||||
Wes Newton | 2 | × | 9 | 9 | × | ||||||||||||||||
Peter Wright | 11 | × | 5 | 9 | 5 | RU | 7 | 8 | SF | 7 | 5 | 8 | — | ||||||||
Dave Chisnall | 4 | × | 7 | SF | 9 | 5 | × | ||||||||||||||
Stephen Bunting | 1 | × | 8 | × | C | × | |||||||||||||||
Kim Huybrechts | 2 | × | 10 | × | 10 | × | |||||||||||||||
Michael Smith | 7 | × | 10 | × | RU | 7 | 7 | × | 6 | SF | — | ||||||||||
Rob Cross | 5 | × | SF | RU | 9 | 9 | × | — | |||||||||||||
Daryl Gurney | 3 | × | 5 | SF | 8 | × | |||||||||||||||
Mensur Suljović | 2 | × | 9 | 6 | × | ||||||||||||||||
Gerwyn Price | 6 | × | 10 | 5 | 5 | WD | 7 | RU | — | ||||||||||||
Nathan Aspinall | 4 | × | C | RU | SF | × | 5 | — | |||||||||||||
Glen Durrant | 2 | × | C | W | 10 | × | |||||||||||||||
Dimitri Van den Bergh | 2 | × | C | × | 5 | × | 6 | × | |||||||||||||
Jonny Clayton | 3 | × | C | W | SF | SF | × | ||||||||||||||
José de Sousa | 1 | × | RU | × | |||||||||||||||||
Joe Cullen | 1 | × | RU | × | |||||||||||||||||
Chris Dobey | 1 | × | C | C | × | 7 | × | ||||||||||||||
Luke Humphries | 1 | × | C | C | × | — | |||||||||||||||
Luke Littler | 1 | × | W |
Table Legend | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | Won in playoffs | RU | Runner-up | SF | Lost in the semi-finals | # | Place in table, not qualified for playoffs | ||
# | Place in table, relegated | WD | Withdrew before tournament | WD | Withdrew during tournament | C | Challenger | × | Did not play |
When Gary Anderson withdrew from the 2019 season just before it began, Chris Dobey, Glen Durrant, Steve Lennon, Luke Humphries, John Henderson, Nathan Aspinall, Max Hopp, Dimitri Van den Bergh and Jeffrey de Zwaan were named as "contenders" to play in Anderson's place each of the first eight weeks. [5] [6] This format was reused for the 2020 season, with nine regular players and nine challengers; Henderson, Fallon Sherrock, Jonny Clayton, William O'Connor, Humphries, Bunting, Dobey, de Zwaan and Jermaine Wattimena were the challengers.
Philip Douglas Taylor is an English former professional darts player. Nicknamed "The Power", he dominated darts for over three decades and won 214 professional tournaments, including a record 85 major titles and a record 16 World Championships. In 2015, the BBC rated Taylor among the ten greatest British sportsmen of the last 35 years.
A nine-dart finish, also known as a nine-darter, is a perfect leg or single game in the sport of darts. The object of the game is to score a set number of points, most commonly 501; in order to win, a player must reach the target total exactly and hit a double scoring area with their last dart. When the target is 501, the minimum number of darts needed to reach it is nine. For example, one way to achieve a nine-dart finish is to score 60 on each of the first seven throws, then a 57 on the eighth, and lastly a 24 on the ninth. It is regarded as an extremely difficult feat to achieve even for the sport's top players, and is considered the highest single-game achievement in the sport, similar to a maximum 147 break in snooker or a 300-point game in bowling.
Raymond van Barneveld is a Dutch professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. Nicknamed "Barney", although originally known as "The Man", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest darts players of all time. Van Barneveld is a five-time World Darts Champion, a two-time UK Open Champion and a former winner of the Las Vegas Desert Classic, the Grand Slam of Darts and the Premier League. He is also a twice-winner of the World Masters and the World Darts Trophy, and a three-time winner of the International Darts League, the Dutch Open and the WDF World Cup Singles event.
Adrian Lewis is an English professional darts player who plays in the PDC. He is a two-time PDC World Darts Champion, winning in 2011 and 2012, also winning the 2013 European Championship and the 2014 UK Open.
James Martin Wade is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). He became the youngest player to win a major PDC title, when he won the 2007 World Matchplay at the age of 24. This record has since been broken by Michael van Gerwen. Wade has won eleven PDC majors, third in the all-time list behind Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen.
The PDC World Darts Championship, known for sponsorship purposes as the Paddy Power World Darts Championship, organised by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), is a World Professional Darts Championship held annually in the sport of darts. The PDC world championship begins in December and ends in January and is held at Alexandra Palace in London and has been held there since 2008. It is the most prestigious of the PDC's tournaments, with the winner receiving the Sid Waddell Trophy, named in honour of the darts commentator Sid Waddell, who died in 2012. Along with the Premier League Darts and World Matchplay, it is considered part of the Triple Crown.
The World Masters is one of the longest-running and most prestigious of the BDO/WDF tournaments, which began in 1974. The tournament was originally sponsored by Phonogram before changing its sponsor in 1975 to darts board manufacturer, Winmau. The World Masters was originally contested as the best of 5 legs before later transitioning to the set format.
Michael van Gerwen is a Dutch professional darts player. He is currently ranked No. 3 in the world, having been No. 1 from 2014 to 2021. He is also a three-time PDC World Champion, having won the title in 2014, 2017 and 2019. Van Gerwen is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.
Gary James Grant Anderson is a Scottish professional darts player playing in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Nicknamed "The Flying Scotsman", after the famous steam train, he is a former BDO and WDF world number one, and a two-time PDC World Champion, having won the title in 2015 and 2016. He is regarded as one of the best darts players of all time.
Simon Whitlock is an Australian professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) tournaments, having also played in the British Darts Organisation (BDO) between 2004 and 2009. He uses the nickname The Wizard for his matches. His walk-on music is "Down Under" by Men at Work.
Stephen Bunting is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation events. Nicknamed The Bullet, Bunting is the reigning Masters champion. He also won the 2014 BDO World Darts Championship and is a twice former BDO World Masters champion.
Dave Chisnall is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked No. 7 in the world.
Michael Smith is an English professional darts player. Nicknamed "Bully Boy", he plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked No. 2 in the world. He is a former world champion, having won the 2023 World Championship.
Chris Dobey is an English professional darts player currently playing in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He is the 2023 Masters champion.
Robert Cross is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked No. 6 in the world. Nicknamed "Voltage", he became the 2018 PDC World Darts Champion following his victory over Phil Taylor. Cross won the World Championship on his debut, having turned professional just 11 months prior to the event.
The 2018 William Hill World Darts Championship was a darts event, held between 14 December 2017 and 1 January 2018 at the Alexandra Palace in London, United Kingdom. It was the 25th World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it separated from the British Darts Organisation.
The 2018 Unibet Premier League Darts was a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation – the fourteenth edition of the tournament. The event began on Thursday 1 February at the 3Arena in Dublin and ended with the play-offs at The O2 Arena in London on Thursday 17 May. This was the first year that the tournament is sponsored by Unibet.
The 2020 PDC World Darts Championship was the 27th World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it separated from the British Darts Organisation. The event took place at Alexandra Palace in London from 13 December 2019 to 1 January 2020.
The 2020 Unibet Premier League Darts was a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation – the sixteenth edition of the tournament. The event began on Thursday 6 February at the P&J Live in Aberdeen and ended with the Play-offs at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry on Thursday 15 October, after a delay was caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Triple Crown refers to winning the three most prestigious tournaments in the Professional Darts Corporation: the World Championship, Premier League Darts, and the World Matchplay. Players who win all three tournaments over the course of their career are said to have won the PDC Triple Crown.