We have almost reached the end of Premier League Darts, and with the finals only a week away, the penultimate event rolls into Sheffield. Night 16 is set to be crunch time for two competitors, as there is only one space left to fill in the play-offs in London on May 29.
Night 16 action starts from 7pm on Thursday, May 22, emanating from Sheffield’s Utilita Arena. The night is sure to have fireworks, and they should arrive early, as there is a huge quarter-final to clarify who might be joining the three already qualified for the play-offs.
The three who have already qualified are PDC World Champion Luke Littler, world number one Luke Humphries and the former world champion Gerwyn Price, with either Nathan Aspinall or Michael van Gerwen to join them. Rob Cross, Chris Dobey and Stephen Bunting are all out already, making it a straight shootout between The Asp and MVG to continue their Premier League campaign into the final week.
Night 16 fixtures
Thursday, May 22nd - Sheffield
Quarter-finals
Luke Littler vs Stephen Bunting
Nathan Aspinall vs Michael van Gerwen
Semi-finals
Luke Littler/Stephen Bunting vs Nathan Aspinall/Michael van Gerwen
Luke Humphries/Rob Cross vs Gerwyn Price/Chris Dobey
Final
Winner of semi 1 vs winner of semi 2
Premier League standings
The table makes for nice reading for the top three. Luke Littler leads the way with 40 points, having won five nights and 24 matches in the 15 weeks so far. Littler is followed by fellow Luke, Humphries, who has 31 points, having won three nights and 19 matches overall. They are joined by the Iceman, Gerwyn Price, who sits on 24 points, having won three nights of the Premier League and 13 matches overall.
The only two players who can qualify and take the final spot for the play-offs are Nathan Aspinall and Michael van Gerwen. Aspinall is currently fourth in the standings on 24 points, whereas MVG is fifth on 20 points. The reason why Aspinall has not qualified already, despite being on the same number of points as Price, is that Price has won more nights in the Premier League, so is above him and that MVG and Aspinall play each other in the quarter-final stages. In the Premier League, each nightly winner gets five points, with the beaten finalist taking three. The losing semi-finalists get two each, and the losers in the quarter-finals get none.
With Aspinall and MVG playing in the quarter-finals, one of the two will get no points for the night. If it is Aspinall who wins that match, then Aspinall will go into the play-offs next week. If MVG wins the match, then he will have to win the whole night to earn the five points that will take him to the play-offs. This means that Aspinall will qualify for the play-offs if MVG loses the semi-final or final, even though he lost in the quarters. All to play for.
Where to watch in the UK
You can watch the live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Action from 7pm on Thursday, May 22nd. You can watch live on the Sky Sports TV Channels or you can stream the darts action on the Sky Go app. You can also stream Sky Sports through NOW TV, which is available online, on the app or through your smart TV.