Preview Premier League Darts 2025 Playoffs | Can anyone stop Luke Littler going back-to-back?

Most successful Premier League player of all time missing during these playoffs

Seven-time Premier League champion Michael van Gerwen will be absent from finals night in London this year. Just like in the disrupted 2020 season, Van Gerwen failed to finish inside the top four during the league phase, missing out on the playoffs.

The key factor? Mighty Mike was unable to win a single weekly title throughout the campaign. While only Luke Littler lost fewer quarterfinal matches than the Dutchman, Van Gerwen also suffered the most semifinal defeats of any player. In contrast, each of the top four players in the final standings secured at least two weekly wins—highlighting the consistency required to reach the playoffs.

Luke Littler v Gerwyn Price

Just like last season, Luke Littler was relentless throughout the league phase. The Nuke had already impressed in 2024, but this year he shattered multiple records and elevated his game even further. His scoring power was nothing short of extraordinary. The youngest world champion in history hit a staggering 180 on 169 occasions during the league stage alone. For comparison, he had set the previous record last year with 128 maximums over the entire season.

Littler also made history by winning six weekly titles—becoming the first player ever to claim more than four in a single Premier League campaign. He ended the league phase with 45 points, surpassing the previous record by five.

In Thursday’s semifinals, Littler faces Gerwyn Price. The 18-year-old Englishman remarked last week that Price made a costly mistake in losing his final league match, which dropped him to fourth place and set up this challenging semifinal clash. Still, if anyone has proven a difficult opponent for Littler, it's The Iceman.

Among the top four players, Price is the only one with a winning record against the reigning champion. Of their 13 previous meetings, the Welshman has won seven—including a streak of six consecutive victories from June 2024 to March 2025. However, Littler appears to have turned the tide, winning their last two encounters.

Despite the tough semifinal draw, Price can reflect on a strong Premier League season. The former rugby player claimed three weekly titles and produced two perfect nine-dart finishes. This is only the second time Price has reached the Premier League playoffs—his previous appearance in 2023 ended with a runner-up finish to Michael van Gerwen.

Luke Humphries v Nathan Aspinall

There was plenty of criticism from fans and fellow players when Nathan Aspinall was handed a wildcard for this year’s Premier League. But The Asp has emphatically silenced the doubters with his performance. Consistency has become his trademark in this competition—this marks his third playoff appearance in just five Premier League campaigns. Remarkably, even in the two seasons he didn’t qualify for finals night, he finished just outside the top four in fifth place.

Aspinall opened the campaign with back-to-back defeats but showed resilience, suffering only one more run of two consecutive losses for the remainder of the season. The 2020 Premier League runner-up reached four weekly finals and claimed titles in Week 10 and Week 15. His Week 15 triumph proved pivotal: trailing Michael van Gerwen by a single point, Aspinall defeated his Dutch rival in the quarterfinals, then dispatched both Stephen Bunting and Chris Dobey with identical 6–1 scorelines to claim the full five points in Aberdeen. That win vaulted him four points clear of Van Gerwen. A week later, Aspinall beat Mighty Mike again in the final round of league play and overtook Gerwyn Price in the standings—thus avoiding a semifinal clash with the red-hot Luke Littler.

That’s significant, as Aspinall’s record against Littler is dire. Out of 15 previous meetings, he’s managed just a single win. His head-to-head with Luke Humphries is more balanced, though still not in his favor, trailing 13–9. Still, these playoffs represent a personal milestone for the 33-year-old from Stockport. Aspinall has long dreamed of playing at the O2 Arena, but in his previous playoff appearances in 2020 and 2021, the finals were held elsewhere due to the pandemic.

As for Luke Humphries, he opened his campaign in strong form—claiming two weekly titles in the first four weeks and reaching another final in Glasgow. However, a mid-season dip saw him lose three matches in a row, and he relinquished the top spot to Littler. From the sixth round onward, Humphries held onto second place in the standings. In the final nine weeks, he reached five more weekly finals but could only convert one into a victory.

The world number one is chasing a personal milestone of his own. Having already claimed the World Championship and the World Matchplay in 2024, Cool Hand Luke is aiming to complete his ‘Triple Crown.’ Despite a rapidly growing résumé, the Premier League remains one of the few major televised titles still missing from his collection.

Format

Tournament Phase

Quarterfinals/Halffinals/Finals: Best of 11 legs

Playoffs

Semifinals: Best of 19 legs

Final: Best of 21 legs

TV Guide

Thanks to Sky Sports, you don't have to miss a single darts moment. Every Thursday night starting at 7 p.m., the channel will bring you the matches live, including extensive analysis and interviews with the main players.

The broadcasts usually last until 11 p.m., allowing you to enjoy a full evening of pure entertainment and top-level darts at the highest level.

Distribution of prize money

With a total prize pool of £1,000,000, the eight contestants are competing not only for the title, but also for a substantial amount of money. All participants are guaranteed £60,000 in prize money. This eventually rises to the top prize of £275,000 for the winner.

However, players can also win a bonus each week. For every winner of a mini-tournament during the league phase, a sum of £10,000 is up for grabs.

Playing schedule Premier League Darts 2025

Playoffs - Thursday, May 29.

The O2, London

Semi-final

Luke Littler v Gerwyn Price

Luke Humphries v Nathan Aspinall

Finale

Littler/Price v Humphries/Aspinall