Luke Littler looking to go back-to-back in Nottingham, but the Premier League table is tight at the top
Luke Littler looking to go back-to-back in Nottingham, but the Premier League table is tight at the top
Luke Littler will look to continue his impressive run of form when the Premier League Darts heads to Nottingham on Thursday night.
Night Six of the 2026 campaign takes place at the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham on March 12, where world number one Littler will attempt to build on last week’s success in Cardiff by securing a second consecutive nightly victory.
The teenage sensation claimed his first Premier League night of the season on Night Five, defeating Welsh rivals Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton to climb into third place in the league standings.
Littler’s confidence received an additional boost over the weekend after he successfully defended his title at the UK Open in Minehead. The triumph made him just the fourth player in the event’s history to win the tournament in consecutive years since it began in 2003.
“I had a little dry spell, but I think I can say I’m back,” declared Littler, who will face Price in the quarter-finals in a repeat of last year’s Nottingham final.
“The form hasn’t gone my way in the Premier League, so to win in Cardiff meant a lot.
“I don’t think many people expected me to win in the Premier League on Thursday, and I don’t think many people expected me to come to the UK Open and win.
“I played well in patches, missed a lot of doubles, but if I can win major titles not playing my best, what can I do playing my best?”
Price, however, will take confidence from his previous success in Nottingham. The Welshman defeated Littler in last year’s final in the East Midlands and currently sits second in the league table, level on points with his young rival but ahead on leg difference.
Also tied on points with the pair is Dutch star Gian van Veen, who has made a superb start to the campaign. Van Veen has reached three nightly finals across the opening five weeks, underlining his consistency as he targets a Play-Off place.
Van Veen faces reigning champion Luke Humphries in Thursday’s opening quarter-final clash. Humphries currently sits three points outside the Play-Off positions and is eager to close the gap on the leading pack.
Interestingly, the Nottingham encounter arrives exactly one year after Van Veen captured his first PDC ranking title with an 8–3 victory over Humphries.
Since that breakthrough success, the European Champion has won seven of his eight meetings with the world number two. Nevertheless, there are reasons for optimism for Humphries heading into the contest.
The 31-year-old boasts the highest tournament average in the field so far this season at 100.79, and he also tasted Premier League success in Nottingham during his debut campaign back in 2024.
The winner of the Humphries–Van Veen clash will go on to face either Littler or Price in the semi-finals, potentially giving Clayton an opportunity to strengthen his position at the top of the standings.
Clayton currently leads the table by five points, but the Welshman faces a challenging opening match against seven-time Premier League champion Michael van Gerwen.
The evening’s remaining quarter-final sees Night Four winner Stephen Bunting take on Josh Rock.
Rock will be aiming to avoid a sixth consecutive quarter-final defeat in this year’s competition, despite producing some impressive performances along the way.
The Northern Irishman averaged over 103 in his defeat to Littler in Cardiff last week, and he went on to defeat Bunting during his run to the semi-finals of the UK Open, where he was eventually beaten by the reigning world champion once again.
Despite the frustrating results, Rock remains positive about his performances and believes a breakthrough win in the Premier League is not far away.
“This is brand new for me and Gian,” conceded Rock, who memorably landed a nine-darter on home soil in Belfast earlier in the season.
“He’s got used to it a lot quicker than me, but I’m still enjoying the Premier League.
“I think I’ve been pretty unfortunate, especially last week against Luke. I’m not playing badly, so I believe there’s a win coming.”
Luke Littler looking to go back-to-back in Nottingham, but the Premier League table is tight at the top
2026 BetMGM Premier League
Night Six – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
Thursday March 12
Quarter-Finals
Josh Rock v Stephen Bunting
Jonny Clayton v Michael van Gerwen
Luke Humphries v Gian van Veen
Gerwyn Price v Luke Littler
Semi-Finals
Rock/Bunting v Clayton/Van Gerwen
Humphries/Van Veen v Price/Littler
Final
v
All matches best of 11 legs
