MVG Heads the Cast and Betting of Darts 2023 Premier League
Michael van Gerwen will begin the defense of his Cazoo Premier League title in the SSE Arena, Belfast, this Thursday. The Dutch player will be seeking a seventh Premier League success. His first title came in 2013 when the then 24-year-old beat Phil Taylor in an epic final where both players averaged 103-plus.
In 2013 Michael van Gerwen won the Premier League on his first attempt. In addition to six titles, he has twice been a beaten finalist. ©PDC
World-ranked number three, van Gerwen will be making his 11th appearance in the competition. Another Premier League veteran, Peter Wright, is also in the 2023 field. This will be the tenth consecutive year the dual world champion has contested the roadshow tournament. His best finishing position is a runner-up spot claimed in 2017.
The top four players in the Professional Dart’s Corporation’s (PDC) Order of Merit have received automatic entry into the 2023 Premier League. This means the newly crowned world champion, Michael Smith and Gerwyn Price are also in the line-up.
Who Are the Four Other Premier Players?
Jonny Clayton – the Welsh player that won the Masters, Grand Prix, World Series of Darts Finals and Premier League in 2021 – is back and aiming to improve on his 2022 Premier League semi-final appearance.
Another player returning to the fold is Dimitri Van den Bergh. The Belgian missed the 2022 Premier League but still enjoyed a terrific year. It saw him win two World Series of Darts titles and reach World Matchplay and World Championship semi-finals.
Nathan Aspinall – the runner-up on his Premier League debut in 2020 – is another player that has been recalled. The 2019 UK Open winner has reached the final of the World Grand Prix and Grand Slam of Darts over recent months.
The final Premier League spot has been given to Chris Dobey as a reward for winning last weekend’s select-field Masters. There was no fluke about his victory in the £275,000 competition – the 32-year-old eliminated reigning world champion Michael Smith in the semi-finals – but his success was unexpected.
Dobey, currently sitting 21st on the PDC’s Order of Merit, had never reached the semi-final stages of any tournament beforehand. His professional career began in 2014. In the Masters final, he beat Rob Cross – the world-ranked number six player who is a surprise Premier League absentee for a second consecutive year.
Premier League What You Need to Know
The eight stars in the 2023 Cazoo Premier League will contest 16 mini-events during the season, with each league night comprising of quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a final played in a best of 11 legs format.
Points – two per semi-final finish, three points per runner-up finish, and five points per final win – will be awarded each night to form the league table. Ultimately it will determine the four players that will progress to the play-offs (two semi-finals and the final), which will be held at The O2 in London on Thursday, May 25.
Following this week’s Belfast fixture, the Premier League roadshow moves to Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, on February 10th. In addition to Northern Ireland and Wales the tour will also visit the Irish Republic, Scotland, Germany, The Netherlands and, of course, England.
2023 Cazoo Premier League Schedule
- Night 1 – The SSE Arena, Belfast February 2
- Night 2 – Cardiff International Arena February 9
- Night 3 – OVO Hydro, Glasgow February 16
- Night 4 – 3 Arena, Dublin February 23
- Night 5 – Westpoint Exeter March 2
- Night 6 – M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool March 9
- Night 7 – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham March 16
- Night 8 – Utilita Arena, Newcastle March 23
- Night 9 – Mercedes-Benz Arena, Berlin March 30
- Night 10 – Utilita Arena, Birmingham April 6
- Night 11 – The Brighton Centre April 13
- Night 12 – Rotterdam Ahoy April 20
- Night 13 – First Direct Arena, Leeds April 27
- Night 14 – AO Arena, Manchester May 4
- Night 15 – Utilita Arena, Sheffield May 11
- Night 16 – P&J Live, Aberdeen May 18
- Play-Offs – The O2, London May 25
Every 2023 Cazoo Premier League fixture takes place on a Thursday and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland. The PDC’s worldwide broadcast partners include DAZN and Viaplay. And, with the best online betting sites live streaming the tournament, it is easy for anyone anywhere to follow the action.
The outright Premier League odds – offered by the best darts betting sites – see Michael van Gerwen trading as the competition favorite on 9/4. Michael Smith follows on 10/3, and then the betting reads 4/1 Gerwyn Price, 5/1 Peter Wright, 9/1 Jonny Clayton, 14/1 Nathan Aspinall and Dimitri Van den Bergh. Chris Dobey is the outsider of the field at 25/1.
