DRAW PDC Players Championship 23 | Another chance to shine with Littler, Humphries, Price & Van Gerwen absent

The 23rd Players Championship event of the 2025 season takes place this afternoon in Hildesheim, Germany. After Sebastian Bialecki defeated Niels Zonneveld in a surprise final at PC22 yesterday, will we get another first time winner? See the draw right here!

With high-profile absentees including World Matchplay winner Luke Littler, world number one Luke Humphries, as well as Jonny Clayton, Damon Heta, Josh Rock, Stephen Bunting, Chris Dobey, Gerwyn Price and James Wade, the door is open for a surprise or first time winner.

Raymond van Barneveld faces an early test in the shape of Connor Scutt, who continues to impress with his scoring consistency. Danny Noppert is up against Nathan Rafferty in another standout tie — Rafferty’s game is developing fast, and he’s already shown he can take down established names.

There’s also a high-potential meeting between Andrew Gilding and Italy’s Michele Turetta. Gilding remains one of the toughest opponents on tour when his scoring kicks in, but Turetta has produced flashes of quality this season.

Dave Chisnall takes on Joshua Richardson, and Joe Cullen is drawn against Owen Bates — both Chisnall and Cullen will be looking to build momentum as they chase a strong seeding heading into the autumn. Krzysztof Ratajski has a potentially awkward opener against Danny van Trijp, while Dimitri Van den Bergh meets Jim Long, a player capable of grinding out results.

Also in action are Ritchie Edhouse vs Ricky Evans, Max Hopp vs Bradley Brooks, and William O’Connor vs Adam Paxton — all with potential to be close affairs. Rhys Griffin vs Andy Baetens and Niels Zonneveld vs Adam Lipscombe are two more ties featuring players on the rise.

Scott Williams will be confident against Leon Weber, and Ricardo Pietreczko faces France’s Thibault Tricole in a battle between two charismatic throwers with very different styles. Alan Soutar vs Haupai Puha looks well matched, as does Callan Rydz vs Jimmy van Schie.

Jermaine Wattimena against José De Sousa offers a clash of tempo and finishing styles, while Kim Huybrechts versus Mensur Suljovic feels like a battle between two veterans searching for rhythm and relevance in the current landscape.

As the 2025 season builds toward its conclusion, this event offers a key opportunity for players to cement their place in the top 64 and chase a spot at the Players Championship Finals — and the standard across the board suggests there’ll be few easy routes through.

DRAW 2025 Players Championship 23