The 20th edition of the Premier League begins in Cardiff this week and anticipation for one of the richest events in world darts has rarely been higher.
Defending champion Michael van Gerwen and new world champ Luke Humphries head the eight-man field on the starting line for a four-month trek around Europe in pursuit of the £275,000 winner's cheque.
But Van Gerwen, Humphries and the rest know the real reason why this year's Premier League is bigger news than usual is the presence of the new darts superstar Luke Littler.
The talented teenager, just 17 years old, has made astonishing strides in just a handful of senior tournaments - he has already won one of them - and goes to post in his debut campaign among the favourites to lift the trophy.
- Michael van Gerwen to win the Premier League
- Peter Wright to finish bottom of the Premier League
- Luke Humphries Most Tournament 180s
Winning Pedigree Gives MVG The Edge
Eight of the finest darts players in the world will toe the oche at Utilita Arena Cardiff on Thursday night, the first stop on a 16-week tour which will produce four players to contest the play-offs at London's O2 on May 23.
New world champion and world No.1 Luke Humphries and the upstart he beat in the final at Alexandra Palace, Luke Littler, are among the star names chasing glory. And romantics who reckon the fairytale is yet to end will be rushing to support The Nuke.
Lined up against the two newcomers are six former Premier League finalists, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith, Rob Cross, Nathan Aspinall, Peter Wright and, of course, Michael van Gerwen.
And, of those six, Van Gerwen is the only one to have lifted the trophy, to have savoured victory – and incredibly he's done it seven times!
If there are two certainties going into the 2024 Premier League it's that this is a tournament 'Mighty' Michael van Gerwen both loves and wins, and he'll be expecting this campaign to end with him being crowned champion for an astonishing eighth time.
The defending champion certainly has form figures on his side. Two events have been played this year, both over the last fortnight, and the Dutchman has reached the final of both, finishing runner-up to Littler at the Bahrain Masters before turning the tables on the youngster in the Dutch Masters.
He has overcome a disrupted 2023, is throwing supremely well, never lacks confidence and, in a format and competition where he is a proven winner, he is going to take some beating.
He isn't the favourite this year with the two Lukes sharing that honour and that's exactly the type of metaphorical slap in the face which will bring out the beast in Van Gerwen. You only had to look at his manic celebrations after beating Littler in Den Bosch last Sunday to appreciate that he knows he's in a fight this year – and it's a fight he will be desperate to win.
MICHAEL VAN GERWEN TO WIN THE PREMIER LEAGUE
Slippery Slope For Snakebite To Continue
While Van Gerwen has eyes only on the big prize, his great rival Peter Wright arguably has different ambitions.
The Scottish two-time world champion will doubtless try to convince anyone who asks that he's capable of winning the Premier League, but the reality is that he could well be struggling to get near the top four and looks far likelier to finish last than first right now.
It's a long campaign, though, and there will be twists and turns and plenty of time for an out-of-form player to find a spark. And no-one would dispute Wright's class.
But Wright has now crashed to No.8 in the world after a patchy year which featured horror shows at the Matchplay, Grand Slam and World Championship, where he suffered a first-hurdle whitewash at the hands of Jim Williams.
That gave him plenty of time to recharge his batteries for the new season only for early flops in Bahrain and at the Dutch Masters – averaging a sorry 81 in a 6-2 drubbing by Kevin Doets in the latter – to suggest the magic touch is yet to be rediscovered.
The 53-year-old is by a distance the oldest player in the field and you do wonder whether he's got the appetite for the slog any more.
And, remember, he finished last of the eight players in last year's Premier League, so it isn't as though he doesn't know what a wooden spoon looks like. Back him to be holding it once again.
PETER WRIGHT TO FINISH BOTTOM OF PREMIER LEAGUE
Humphries Can Walk Off With Maximum Returns
Humphries was a 180-hitting machine on his way to glory at the World Championship in London – he piled in 73 maximums, including 24 in the final alone – and there is no reason to suppose this smoothest of throwers is going to lose that part of his armory.
The world No.1 might be making his Premier League debut, but he has been going through the purplest of purple patches for several months and it's hard to imagine him not making the top four.
And you only make the top four by accruing lots of points throughout the Premier League season, which means playing more games than the majority of his rivals and getting more opportunities to add to what is sure to be an impressive 180 haul.
Given the rhythm he gets into when plastering the treble-20 bed he looks a decent bet to hit most tournament maxes.
LUKE HUMPHRIES TO HIT MOST TOURNAMENT 180S
