Littler’s Quest to Retain Two Darts Titles Begins This Week
Luke Littler is the favourite to land 2025’s Premier League. Beforehand, this week, he will attempt to retain his Bahrain Darts Masters title.
Will Luke Littler collect another Bahrain Darts Masters date palm trophy this week? © PDC
Key Facts:
- New World Champion Luke Littler is the Bahrain Darts Masters 2025 headline act.
- Eight top pros will meet eight Asian players, including Paolo Nebrida, in Bahrain’s F1 circuit.
- Littler aims to double up in the Premier League for a second time.
- £1 million Premier League broadcast on Sky Sports begins on February 6.
Newly crowned World Champion Luke Littler and world number one Luke Humphries are the headline acts at the 2025 Bahrain Darts Masters. The £60,000 competition will be held at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir from 16 to January 17.
Day one of action will see eight Asian representatives face eight PDC superstars. Last year, no Asian player managed to win against their established opponents. However, the competition did see Luke Littler claim his first PDC senior title. During the contest, he also became the youngest player to hit a televised nine-dart finish.
After he lifted the Bahrain Darts Masters date palm trophy on his World Series debut, Littler went on to win the Premier League and Grand Slam before his incredible 2024/25 World Championship victory. Online betting sites understandably make the in-form teenager the competition favourite.
The World Champs Top Four Head to Bahrain
Standing in Littler’s way are World Championship semi-finalists Stephen Bunting and Chris Dobey, who will make their first visits to Bahrain to compete in the event. Former World Champions Rob Cross and Gerwyn Price return for the third edition of the Bahrain Darts Masters.
🎯 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗵𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 🎯
This Thursday and Friday we'll be showing @OfficialPDC Bahrain Darts Masters LIVE on @ITVX with re-runs on ITV4 🙌 pic.twitter.com/NEq5AUl1ut
— ITV Sport (@ITVSport) January 15, 2024
2023 World Matchplay winner Nathan Aspinall is among the field, as is two-time World Champion Peter Wright. However, Dutch superstar Michael van Gerwen, runner-up in 2024’s Bahrain Darts Masters and 2025 World Championship, misses the event due to family commitments.
The Asian representatives include six players from the PDC Asian Tour who competed at the World Darts Championship. Paolo Nebrida, one of three Filipino players in action, could be the one to watch. He beat Jim Williams and Ross Smith on his way to reaching the last 32 stage at Alexandra Palace.
Luke Littler also tops the betting for the Premier League, which will begin on February 6 in Belfast. BetMGM, sponsors the competition for a second year and contributes to its impressive £1 million purse. Once again, Luke Littler is the favourite to win the 17-week event that will conclude on May 29 in The O2 London.
Everything You Need to Know About 2025 Premier League Darts
Premier League Dates
- Night 1 – The SSE Arena, Belfast – February 6
- Night 2 – OVO Hydro, Glasgow – February 13
- Night 3 – 3Arena, Dublin – February 20
- Night 4 – Westpoint Exeter – February 27
- Night 5 – The Brighton Centre – March 6
- Night 6 – Motorpoint Arena – March 13
- Night 7 – Utilita Arena, Cardiff – March 20
- Night 8 – Utilita Arena, Newcastle – March 27
- Night 9 – Uber Arena, Berlin – April 3
- Night 10 – AO Arena, Manchester – April 10
- Night 11 – Rotterdam Ahoy, Rotterdam – April 17
- Night 12 – M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool – April 24
- Night 13 – Utilita Arena, Birmingham – May 1
- Night 14 – First Direct Arena, Leeds – May 8
- Night 15 – P&J Live, Aberdeen – May 15
- Night 16 – Utilita Arena, Sheffield – May 22
- Play-Offs – The O2, London – May 29
How to Watch Premier League Darts
Whereas ITVX will broadcast the Bahrain Darts Masters live with highlights on ITV4, the BetMGM Premier League is exclusively live on Sky Sports. Coverage begins at 7 pm on all nights.
What Is the Premier League Format?
Every night is an eight-person knockout bracket event. Players receive two points for a semi-final finish, three per runner-up finish, and five points for winning a nightly final. Following the league phase, the top four players in the table will proceed to the semi-finals, with the first playing fourth and the second playing third.
Beforehand, each player will meet every rival on Thursdays during weeks 1-7 and then again in weeks 9-15. Weeks 8 and 16 will feature matches drawn on league standings. All nightly matches are the ‘best of 11 legs’ format – or ‘first to six’. The semis are ‘best of 19 legs’ and the final is ‘best of 21 legs’.
What is the Premier League Prizemoney?
The Premier League winner will collect £275,000 and the runner-up £125,000. The two beaten semi-finalists will be rewarded with £85,000. Thereafter, fifth place gets £75,000, sixth place £70,000, seventh place £65,000, and the player at the bottom of the table will be awarded £60,000. Each winner of the 16 Premier League fixtures will receive an additional £10,000 bonus.
How Do Bookmakers View the Premier League?
The sponsor quotes the defending champion on 6/4 odds. Perennial rival Luke Humphries follows on 3/1 odds. The other players and their prices are Michael van Gerwen (3/1), Stephen Bunting (16/1), Gerwyn Price (20/1), Chris Dobey (25/1), Rob Cross (25/1) and Nathan Aspinall (33/1).
