Premier League playoff preview: Littler targeting back-to-back titles in London

The Premier League concludes at London's O2 Arena on Thursday evening
The Premier League concludes at London's O2 Arena on Thursday eveningSimon O'Connor / PDC
The 2025 BetMGM Premier League Darts season reaches its conclusion on Thursday, May 29th at London's O2 Arena, where four of the sport's top names will battle it out for the £275,000 top prize in front of a sold-out crowd of 14,000 fans.

After 16 weeks of high-level action across Europe, the play-off line-up reflects both the current hierarchy in darts and the strength in depth at the top of the game.

Reigning champion Luke Littler headlines the field, joined by world number one Luke Humphries, 2020 runner-up Nathan Aspinall, and former world champion Gerwyn Price.

Littler the pacesetter

At just 18, Luke Littler has already carved his name into the sport's record books, and he arrives in London as the firm favourite.

The teenager topped the league table for a second consecutive year with 45 points - a new Premier League record - and collected an unprecedented six nightly wins in Glasgow, Brighton, Cardiff, Newcastle, Birmingham, and Sheffield.

Aiming to become only the third player to win back-to-back Premier League titles (joining Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen), The Nuke is embracing the challenge.

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"That is another moment of history that I will be looking at tomorrow night," Littler said at the PDC's media event at The O2 on Wednesday.

"This year has been absolutely fantastic, and I'm really thankful to be in this position.

"I love playing on the biggest stages of them all."

Price feels time is right

Littler faces 2023 runner-up Gerwyn Price in the evening's opening semi-final.

Price enjoyed a strong second half of the campaign, winning three nights and hitting nine-dart finishes in Manchester and Aberdeen to extend his record of perfect legs in the competition. 

One of those legs came against Littler, though the Welshman will be looking to reverse recent form, having lost their last two meetings after previously winning six straight against the Warrington star.

"It really doesn't bother me who I play," Price, the 2020/21 world champion, said.

"If my A-game is there, then I believe I will win this title.

"I haven't been ultra-consistent this year, but my frame of mind has been more positive, and my game is in a much better place."

Humphries keen to add to CV

The second semi-final sees Luke Humphries take on fan favourite Nathan Aspinall.

Humphries, the current world number one, will be keen to add the Premier League crown to his growing list of major titles.

After nightly wins in Belfast, Exeter, and Leeds, Cool Hand Luke finished second in the league phase and is aiming to go one better than last year, when he lost the final 11-7 to Littler.

"This is the big title missing from my CV," said Humphries.

"I think this is one of the toughest tournaments to win, and if I can go all the way, it would mean so much to me.

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"It's been a strong campaign, but it's all about what happens tomorrow night.

"Nathan seems to play well against me, and I usually perform well against him, so that's a recipe for a great game."

Aspinall not here to take part

Aspinall, meanwhile, makes his return to the Play-Offs for the first time since 2021, having clinched third place on the final night with a critical win over Michael van Gerwen. 

The world number nine, who has battled through injury and adversity in recent times, is hoping to turn a dream night at The O2 into something more substantial.

"This will be an amazing feeling for me and my family," Aspinall said.

"It is a great achievement to make the final four, but I don't want this to be the pinnacle - I want to be the winner. 

"I've worked so hard behind the scenes to get back to this level."

The 2025 Premier League Darts season concludes with a blockbuster night of play-off action, beginning with two semi-finals followed by the final, all played over the best of 19 legs.

The winner will receive £275,000, with £125,000 going to the runner-up and £85,000 to each of the semi-finalists.

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