Luke Humphries (Photo PDC)
The final night of league phase action in the Premier League Darts will take place at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena on Thursday. Night Sixteen of the darting roadshow will roll into the Steel City on May 21, as reigning champion Luke Humphries targets back-to-back nightly wins to round off the league season.
Humphries clinched his first nightly victory of the campaign in Birmingham last Thursday, defeating Gerwyn Price in the evening’s showpiece to confirm his place at Finals Night next week.
The world number two will be joined at London’s O2 by world number one Luke Littler, 2021 Premier League champion Jonny Clayton and 2023 runner-up Price, as four of the sport’s biggest names compete for the coveted title.
Littler has confirmed top spot for a third consecutive season following his incredible haul of six nightly wins, while Clayton – the winner of four nightly titles in 2026 – will finish the league phase in second position.
However, Price and Humphries are left to battle it out for third spot, with the pair locked on 24 points ahead of Thursday’s action in Sheffield.
Price – who leads Humphries by virtue of nightly wins – plays Dutch number one Gian van Veen in his quarter-final opener, with Humphries pitted against seven-time Premier League champion Michael van Gerwen.
Humphries performed magnificently to triumph in Birmingham, averaging 107 and 111 in wins over Stephen Bunting and Littler, before defying a late rally from Price to rubber stamp his return to The O2.
The 31-year-old maintained that sparkling form to clinch his second ranking title of the year on Monday, registering a staggering tournament average of 104.74 to win Players Championship Seventeen in Leicester.
“It would have hurt me a lot if I didn’t make Finals Night,” conceded Humphries, who believes he’s hitting top form at the perfect time.
“When it clicks for me, it clicks for me! When it does, I think people see I’m one of the best players in the world.
“It sets a standard for myself; I can do this a lot more, it’s just up to me to try and produce it a lot more than I do!
“Whether I’m third or fourth, it doesn’t matter. If I’m fourth I play Luke [Littler] – I know how to beat him, and he knows how to beat me.”
Van Gerwen’s hopes of qualification were thwarted by Humphries last week, and the three-time World Champion is now playing for pride in Sheffield, as he bids to round off his campaign on a high.
Van Veen is faced with a similar scenario, after seeing his Play-Off aspirations curtailed following his semi-final defeat against Price in Birmingham.
The 24-year-old will renew his rivalry with the Welshman on Night Sixteen as he chases an elusive first nightly victory, while Price is bidding to cement a third-place finish by adding to wins in Antwerp and Manchester.
Elsewhere, Littler can create a slice of Premier League history by becoming the first player to claim seven nightly victories since the inception of the current format.
The Warrington sensation equalled his 2025 tally of six nightly successes courtesy of his Night Fourteen exploits in Leeds, and Littler will open his latest challenge against Northern Ireland’s World Cup champion Josh Rock.
Rock’s Premier League performances have significantly improved in the second half of the season, although he’s yet to register a victory against Littler in their previous eight meetings.
The evening’s other quarter-final clash sees Clayton and Bunting go head-to-head, as the Welsh number one looks to return to winning ways ahead of Finals Night.
Bunting, meanwhile, arrives in South Yorkshire in seventh position, but could still finish as high as fifth by recording his second nightly victory of the season, having also prevailed in Belfast on Night Four.
SCHEDULE
Quarter-Finals
Jonny Clayton v Stephen Bunting
Gerwyn Price v Gian van Veen
Luke Littler v Josh Rock
Luke Humphries v Michael van Gerwen
