Premier League Darts permutations: Who can qualify for Finals Night at the O2 Arena?
WE are now heading into the final weeks of what has been a thrilling Premier League Darts season.
Teenage sensation Luke Littler has enjoyed a remarkable debut campaign, winning four nights to date.
The 17-year-old has taken the world of darts by storm ever since his performance at the World Darts Championship earlier this year.
Littler made it all the way to the final of the prestigious tournament but was beaten by World No1 Luke Humphries on the night.
The wonderkid didn’t let the loss affect him as he is currently at the top of the Premier League Darts standings.
Here is the current state of play ahead of the final two weeks of the season…
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Who has already qualified for Premier League Darts Finals Night?
Luke Littler and Luke Humphries are the only players that have secured their spots in the finals.
First-placed Littler is currently eight points clear of Humphries in second and Cool Hand is the only man who can stop the 17-year-old from finishing top of the pile.
Should the World No1 win the remaining two nights in Leeds and Sheffield, he would move on to 38 points ahead of Littler.
If Humphries is successful on both nights in Yorkshire, Littler would need to either come runner-up one night or reach the semi-finals on both remaining nights.
Should the 17-year-old reach the semi-finals one week and suffer a first round exit in the other and Humphries went on to triumph in Leeds and Sheffield, they would be both on 38 points – and it would be Humphries that would finish top as he was won five nights to Littler’s four.
Littler and Humphries can both end on 36 points should Littler lose in the quarter-finals of the last two evenings – and Humphries secures a win in Leeds or Sheffield and finish runner-up in the other, Littler will finish in top spot on match wins.
Who can still qualify for Finals Night?
Currently, Nathan Aspinall and Michael van Gerwen occupy the final two places in the top four, but Michael Smith and Rob Cross remain in with a chance to claim a spot.
The Asp takes on Smith in the quarter-finals of Night 15 in Leeds, so if Aspinall beats Bully Boy and then wins in the semi-finals, Smith would not be able to catch him.
At the same time, the quarter-final in Leeds gives Smith the chance to close the gap on the Asp.
Van Gerwen holds an advantage over his Premier League rivals if players end on the same number of points as he holds four nightly wins – only Aspinall can replicate that, should he win the final two nights.
Cross is an outsider with him likely needing to win in Leeds and Sheffield to stand a chance of a play off place.
Night 16 in Sheffield will be an intriguing spectacle as the matches for the finale are determined by league position as the play-off race concludes.
When are the Premier League Darts Finals?
- The Premier League Darts Finals will take place on Thursday, May 23.
- Sky Sports will broadcast the event.
- London’s O2 Arena will host.