'I don't see these guys taking pictures of Van Gerwen or anyone else' - Luke Littler says he's treated differently by media

The 2025 Premier League Darts reaches its climax tomorrow night at London’s O2 Arena, where four of the sport’s biggest names will battle for the prestigious title. All eyes will be on 18-year-old sensation Luke Littler, who returns as defending champion and faces Gerwyn Price in the semi-finals.

Littler, arguably the biggest household name in darts, has taken this year’s competition by storm. 'The Nuke' topped the league table with a commanding 45 points — winning six of the 16 nights in the process, a new record. His closest challenger, Luke Humphries, finished 11 points adrift, while Nathan Aspinall and Gerwyn Price followed with 21 and 19 points respectively. The gulf between first and second place is the largest ever recorded in the Premier League’s history.

Last year, Littler stunned the darts world by winning the tournament in his debut season, defeating Humphries 11–7 in the final to claim his first major PDC title. Now, with the spotlight brighter than ever, he returns to defend that crown.

"This is obviously the first proper one that I've got to defend," assesses Littler in conversation with Online Darts. "I've defended a Euro Tour in Belgium and I tried to defend the Bahrain Darts Masters this year, but this is one of the biggest out there, and it's not been easy for sixteen weeks that we've been playing. I've just got to switch on."

Since his breakthrough, Littler’s rapid rise to fame has brought challenges beyond the oche. The teenager admits the intense public interest can be overwhelming at times. "I just want to be known as a dart player. But obviously, I get taken pictures of and the headline will be 'Luke goes to the shop, Luke goes to the chippy', so what?" Littler says. "I don't see these guys taking pictures of Van Gerwen or anyone else. It's just me."

Despite the scrutiny, Littler remains the favourite going into the play-offs. Of the four semi-finalists, he’s the only one to have previously lifted the trophy. Humphries, Aspinall, and Price have each reached a Premier League final, but all three came up short.

This year’s champion will walk away with £275,000, while the runner-up will collect £125,000 — a fitting reward for the winner of what promises to be a thrilling finale.