The 2026 Premier League Darts League is fast approaching and all eyes will be on what the eight players can achieve on darts’ biggest road show.

Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen, Michael van Gerwen, Jonny Clayton, Stephen Bunting, Josh Rock and Gerwyn Price will battle it out over 16 weeks to get to May 28 Grand Final night at the O2 Arena in London.

Every player will experience highs, lows and everything in between during these weeks, but at the end of the day, if they make it to the Final Four, they will perform well and know that it is up to them to capture the coveted championship.

There are newcomers looking to prove a point, older minds looking to show their worth, and some Luke at the top.

Let’s take a look at the main storylines for the 2026 Darts Premier League…

Is it time to make your dream debut?

Van Veen and Roque are two players making their debuts who will surely be looking to make their mark in the Premier League.

Van Veen, ranked third in the world, automatically qualified for the Premier League after reaching the World Darts Championship final in January.

However, as a newcomer to the top four in the world and the first Dutchman to take the crown from Van Gerwen, he will be looking to prove that he belongs in the rankings.

Van Veen defeated Humphries at the European Championships in Dortmund to win his first TV Grand Slam title, then beat Humphries and Gary Anderson again to set up his world final against Littler.

He’s proven he can be one of the big boys and now needs to embrace that and do it for at least 16 consecutive weeks.

Rock, meanwhile, has been selected as a wildcard entry, with the 24-year-old expected to rival seven of his competitors thanks to his speedy play.

He reached the semi-finals of the Match Play and Open Championships and led Northern Ireland to their first World Cup victory last June with Daryl Gurney.

If Wayne Mader is right, the Premier League is a format that could help the Rock shine.

“Josh is one of those players who would love it,” sky sports pound.

“He’s a fiery character and he seems to thrive on competition. That’s the Premier League – it’s the big stage, it’s competition, it’s ruthless.”

Bunting shows he “earned his rightful place”

The most surprising player in the Premier League class of 2026 is Bunting.

Bunting is currently ranked seventh in the world but endured a very difficult season in the Premier League last year. He finished bottom of the Premier League last year and has not won more than one match at any major since the Match Play in July.

He did win two World Series and two European Tour events, which “Bullet” himself felt strengthened his case for selection.

In fact, many believe Bunting and Nathan Aspinall will battle it out for eighth place in the Premier League this year, but Bunting says he doesn’t like the question mark over his position and he’s earned his chance again in 2026.

“Honestly, I’m a little disappointed that people think this is between me and Nathan,” Bunting said.

“I believe I deserve it, I’m No. 7 in the world and I had a great year last year, winning six tournaments and reaching ten finals.

“It’s one of those things — I have a great fan base, I have a great walk-on, and I know people don’t talk about walk-ons.

“Honestly, I believe I deserve to be in there and I’m going to prove to everyone that I deserve to be in there.”

MVG proves a point

He has won the Premier League seven times but in 2025 Van Gerwen missed finals night for the second time in his trophy-laden career.

It’s worth noting that MVG wasn’t able to post every win in 2025, so he had a dismal season by his standards.

However, is this the moment when the Dutch reassert their dominance?

After a difficult World Darts Championship in which he was eliminated before the quarter-finals by Gary Anderson for the first time since 2016, ‘Mighty Mike’ has made a strong start to 2026.

He first won the Bahrain Darts Masters and then reached the finals of the Saudi Arabian Darts Masters, where he was defeated by Luke Littler.

He said he feels good, in good form and now wants to regain the Premier League title his Contest.

Humphries hopes to retain title

Humphreys will enter the Premier League this year as the defending champion and if he can retain the title it will really make a statement.

In fact, that Premier League victory was Humphries’ last major title.

He has reached the final on a number of occasions but failed to cross the finish line, with Littler usually stopping him and after being eliminated in the quarter-finals, darts’ biggest roadshow is a perfect opportunity to reaffirm himself and show why he is number two in the world.

The talent is clearly there and the format suits his up-tempo style, and now it’s time for Humphries to rekindle the Luke-Luke rivalry.

Record online

Littler loves to break a record or two and this is no different in the Premier League.

Back in 2024, he hit a 9-dart and became the youngest winner, shattering the statistic ever since.

Despite not winning every match in 2025, Littler had one of his most dominant games since the format’s inception.

Littler won six games, played in more than half of the night finals, scored more than half of the 80 points (45 points) and scored 10 180 points in one game.

For Littler, 2026 will be about breaking his own record while ensuring the trophy is his again.

Wales 1 vs Wales 2

Two Welsh players, two former Premier League champions, and Clayton’s moment to show why he is Wales’ number one.

Clayton and Price will meet for the first time in the quarter-finals on night three in Glasgow, but all eyes will be on them on night five as we head to Cardiff – and the reception will be warm!

While Price has been a mainstay in the Premier League, the 2021 champion ‘The Ferret’ returns to the semi-finals of the Open, World Matchplay and World Grand Prix after two televised finals at the World Masters and World Cup of Darts.

Ranking-wise, he’s quite a few spots above “The Iceman,” but it would be shocking if the two had some friendly exchanges over who’s at the top in 16 weeks’ time.

There are storylines everywhere, and that’s before the action even begins!

Who will win this year’s Premier League Darts League? Luke Humphries will defend his title and you can watch the action every Thursday from February to May on Sky Sports. Live stream darts and more top sports with NOW.