Darts: Standings and Takeaways After First Half of the Premier League Season
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Nuke Notches Up Another Win on Night Eight in Newcastle
Luke Littler came into Night 8 of the Premier League darts season with a six-point advantage over the chasing pack, but he stepped into an unexpectedly hostile environment, with the home crowd firmly in the corner of Stephen Bunting, who has yet to win a match at this year’s competition.
‘The Nuke’ was unfazed as he walked out, though, gesturing to his ear in defiance of the rowdy reception he received. Once he stepped up to the oche, his response was nothing short of pure dominance as he pinged five maximums, scored two 100+ finishes, and converted 50% of his doubles to smash Bunting 6-0 in just 10 minutes.
Littler refused to step off the gas from then on, beating Rob Cross 6-3 in the semi-final to set up another final showdown against Luke Humphries. While Cool Hand Luke did his best to take down the teenage superstar, Littler was not for the catching and held off the world number one to secure his fourth final victory in eight rounds of the Premier League.
Here’s how the standings look at the halfway point of the season.
| Pos | Name | Pts | W | RU | SF | QF | Pld | W | L | 100+ | 140+ | 180 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luke Littler | 26 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 16 | 4 | 72 | 63 | 92 |
| 2 | Luke Humphries | 18 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 115 | 86 | 44 |
| 3 | Michael van Gerwen | 13 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 83 | 47 | 39 |
| 4 | Gerwyn Price | 12 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 87 | 40 | 33 |
| 5 | Rob Cross | 12 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 67 | 51 | 31 |
| 6 | Nathan Aspinall | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 76 | 38 | 34 |
| 7 | Chris Dobey | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 59 | 35 | 34 |
| 8 | Stephen Bunting | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 48 | 22 | 22 |
Littler has now already equalled the number of nightly wins he posted last season en route to the title and still has half the campaign yet to play. Additionally, the 18-year-old from Warrington pinned his 100th maximum of the tournament in the semi-final against Cross - incredibly, no other player in the Premier League this season has even managed half that, with Humphries closest on 45.
Despite the magnitude of his feat so far, Littler has taken it all in his stride and has not allowed his success to get the better of him. After defeating Humphries in the final, he said:
"It's another week. More points on the board, another nightly win. More comfortable at the top, loads of points ahead. I'm well set coming into the next weeks.”
Having extended his lead to eight points at the summit of the standings, Littler is now the odds on favourite to win the Premier League again this season, according to all the best online betting sites.
Stephen Bunting Still Searching For First Win
After eight rounds, Stephen Bunting is rooted to the bottom of the Premier League standings and yet to taste victory in this year’s competition. Arguably, his best performance came on Night 3 when he lost to Humphries 6-4 in Dublin, but his 6-0 drubbing by Littler last night was another indication of the struggles he faces heading into the second half of the season.
Humphries, a close personal friend of Bullet, revealed that he tried to offer Bunting some advice after his hefty loss to Littler on Night 8. He said:
"I said to him I don’t know if the walk on song is affecting him a little bit at the start. Nathan (Aspinall) had this and told me the buzz is so high that for the first couple of legs it’s hard to come down from.”
Bunting enters matches to a well-known song ‘Titanium’ by David Guetta and Sia, which has made him a popular figure among darts fans, but his performances have not stacked up. Bullet has yet to earn a point this year, and finished third-bottom back in 2015, which was his only other appearance in the Premier League, barring a one-off challenger showing in 2020.
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Are Emotions Getting the Better of Humphries?
While anything can still happen over the second half of the season, most in-tune followers of the Premier League would likely concur that the only player who can catch Littler this season is Humphries. However, the world number one has not been at his absolute best of late, and Littler provided an observation on what may be Humphries' issue - something that many may have overlooked.
"For myself, when I'm playing certain players, I know when I've got them. Luke Humphries, he shows a bit too much. As a player you're like he's at 60 or 41 and he's not happy about it. Then his next throw, he is the same score so you just have to pounce."
Reflecting on Littler’s words and looking back at Humphries' defeats, it does become evident that Cool Hand Luke tends to wear his emotion quite plainly, especially when he’s not playing well. Humphries averaged 93.31 in the final against Littler in Newcastle on Night 8 and hit only one of his 10 attempts at doubles.
Premier League Heads to Berlin for Night 9
The second half of the 2025 Premier League darts season will take us to the Uber Arena in Berlin on April 3, kicking off with an intriguing matchup between Nathan Aspinall and Stephen Bunting.
Night Nine - Thursday, April 3
Quarter-Finals
- Nathan Aspinall vs. Stephen Bunting
- Luke Humphries vs. Rob Cross
- Chris Dobey vs. Luke Littler
- Michael van Gerwen vs. Gerwyn Price
Don’t forget, our experts' darts predictions will be available ahead of the opening match in Berlin, so be sure to check them out for all the key stats and insights you will need.
