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Luke Littler returns tonight as the Premier League Darts 2025 kicks off in Belfast.
The PDC world champion won the showcase event last year and begins his title defence against three-time world champion Michael Van Gerwen in what many believe to be the start of a new era in the sport after his maiden victory at Alexandra Palace in January.
The Dutch player criticised Littler for arriving late for the launch on Wednesday, stating he is not a kid anymore, having turned 18 years old this year.
Luke Humphries, as the world No. 1, will be out for revenge after a disappointing world title defence, but victory last week in a thrilling World Masters final against Jonny Clayton leaves him in great shape for the first of 16 nights before the play-offs.
Here’s everything you need to know about Littler’s first match tonight and the other players and matches set to feature at The SSE Arena:
When is Luke Littler playing?
Luke Littler is booked to play in the quarter-finals on the opening night in Belfast against Michael van Gerwen. It will be the third match on stage, meaning
Chris Dobey vs Gerwyn Price kicks things off at 7:10pm GMT, then it’s Stephen Bunting vs Rob Cross at approximately 7:40pm GMT, before Littler takes to the stage with ‘MVG’ at approximately 8:10pm GMT.
Luke Humphries will round out the quarter-finals at 8:40pm against Nathan Aspinall. Should Littler win, he can face Humphries or Aspinall in the semi-finals, with the match set to begin at around 9pm GMT. The final, should Littler reach it, will see ‘The Nuke’ play for a third time on the night at around 10pm GMT.
How can I watch?
You can watch the first night of the Premier League Darts 2025 on 6 February on Sky Sports +, with a live stream on Sky Go and Now TV, the broadcast begins at 7pm GMT.
Premier League format
Each Premier League night has a mini tournament where the eight players start the night off in four quarter-finals. All players will play each other in the first seven weeks and then again from weeks nine to 15.
The winners from the last eight matches advance to the semi-finals before an eventual final before the winner of the night is declared.
Every match is best-of-11 legs with the winner banking five points, the runner-up takes home three points and the two losing semi-finalists each receive two points.
The top four players in the Premier League table following the final regular season night in Sheffield will advance to the Play-Offs and Finals Night in London on May 29.
How do the play-offs work?
Top of the table will face fourth and second takes on third. The two semi-finals will be played in a best-of-19 legs match.
The winners will then go head-to-head in the final on the same evening, this time over best-of-21 legs, and the first player to win 11 legs will lift the Premier League title.
Odds
Luke Littler 5/4
Luke Humphries 11/4
Michael van Gerwen 5/1
Stephen Bunting 12/1
Gerwyn Price 14/1
Chris Dobey 20/1
Rob Cross 20/1
Nathan Aspinall 33/1
Premier League Darts Championship prize money
Champion: £275,000
Runner-up: £125,000
Semi-finalists: £85,000
The other players finishing fifth and eighth will earn between £75,000 and £60,000.
Each winner of a week will bank a Nightly Winner Bonus of £10,000, with the total prize money this year at £1m.
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