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The opening three nights of the competition have provided plenty of thrills and spills, so expect further entertainment on Thursday evening as the Premier League roadshow arrives in Northern Ireland.
Although his form has dipped considerably over the past few weeks, the bookmakers have installed Luke Littler as the early favourite to win in Belfast. The talented teenager was crowned Premier League champion in 2024, but was pipped to the post last year by familiar foe Luke Humphries.
Given the recent surge in darts’ popularity, it was hardly surprising when tickets for Night 4 sold out almost instantly.
Therefore, eight of the world’s best players are set to perform in front of another packed audience this week, after already experiencing electric atmospheres in Newcastle, Antwerp, and Glasgow.
The majority of those lucky enough to secure a ticket will be cheering on native hero Josh Rock, who achieved World Cup success alongside his teammate Daryl Gurney last summer.
The SSE Arena is part of the Odyssey Complex, which is situated within the Titanic Quarter of Belfast Harbour. In addition to staging Premier League Darts meetings since 2008, the venue is the home of ice hockey outfit Belfast Giants.
The Cardiff International Arena is the next location to assume hosting duties when the Premier League reconvenes for Night 5 in early March, before the tournament moves on to Nottingham the following week.
Premier League Darts Night 4 – Key information
Date: Thursday, 26th February
Start time: 19:00 (BST)
Venue: SSE Arena, Belfast
TV Channels/Live stream: Sky Sports Action, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports UHDR
Favourites (to win Night 4): Luke Littler: 6/4, Luke Humphries: 4/1, Gian van Veen: 13/2
Odds provided by bet365
Premier League Darts – Format
As it unfolds over several months and across multiple locations, the Premier League is a unique competition on the PDC circuit. It consists of two separate stages: an initial league phase and the playoffs.
There are 16 nightly events during the league phase, with each hosting a mini knockout tournament between the eight competing players. Therefore, every night commences with a set of four quarter-finals.
Points are distributed for match victories, enabling each player to be ranked on a progressive league table. At the conclusion of the sixteenth night, the players assuming the table’s four highest positions will advance to the playoffs at London’s 02 Arena in May, where the overall champion is determined.
Following the conclusion of the World Championships in January, the top four players in the PDC’s Order of Merit qualified automatically for the Premier League. That meant that Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen, and Michael van Gerwen were all guaranteed an invite.
The remaining four spots were taken by ‘wild card’ picks selected by the PDC, who considered aspects such as current form, previous Premier League appearances, and volume of major honours won when making their selections.
This year’s wild card entrants are 2021 Premier League winner Jonny Clayton, former WDF big-hitter Stephen Bunting, three-time Grand Slam of Darts champion Gerwyn Price, and the aforementioned Josh Rock.
To ensure a fair competitive landscape, each player will face one another in a quarter-final tie at some point across the opening seven nights and then again between Nights 9 and 15.
The league position of each participant will determine who they meet first on Nights 8 and 16, with those ranked highest receiving the more favourable draw.
These ties are fixed following Nights 7 and 15, with the players occupying first and last place coming up against each other while second and seventh go head-to-head, third challenges sixth, and fourth takes on fifth.
The story so far
Following three nights of exhilarating action, the Premier League table is slowly beginning to shape.....
Top of the tree
Having lifted silverware in Glasgow last time out, Jonny Clayton currently finds himself leading the pack. The Welsh ace produced three dominant displays at the Hydro – sweeping aside Price, Littler, and van Veen – to secure a first nightly win of the campaign, after being eliminated at the semi-final stage in both Newcastle and Antwerp.
Those sterling efforts have resulted in a considerable nine-point haul, which puts him in pole position heading into this week’s contest.
Despite Clayton’s imperious form, Michael van Gerwen will rightly be feeling aggrieved in second place. Following a difficult spell both on and off the stage, the Green Machine was back to his scintillating best during the Premier League’s opening two nights.
After scooping first prize at the Newcastle Arena, he almost claimed back-to-back titles the following week but was narrowly defeated by Price in the Antwerp final.
However, van Gerwen was knocked off his perch after missing last week’s meeting in Scotland due to illness, which resulted in him leaving the door ajar for Clayton to swoop in.
Meanwhile, Gian van Veen has continued his remarkable start to the year, following up last month’s appearance in the final of the World Championships with some immensely encouraging performances in his debut Premier League campaign.
The Giant was a runner-up on Tyneside after impressively defeating Luke Littler and Jonny Clayton in the earlier rounds, before narrowly losing his quarter-final meeting with eventual winner Gerwyn Price in Antwerp.
Although he was once again a beaten finalist on Night 3, the reigning European champion currently boasts the best scoring record in the entire competition, having registered more 100+ points totals (89) than any other player.
Plagued by the same inconsistency that has undermined his overall career progress in recent years, Gerwyn Price’s eighth Premier League campaign is on a topsy-turvy trajectory.
In between falling at the first hurdle in both Newcastle and Glasgow, the legendary Welshman romped to the title at the AFAS Dome thanks to a sequence of excellent victories over Gian van Veen, Jonny Clayton, and Michael van Gerwen.
The early stragglers
The most surprising narrative of this year’s Premier League campaign has been the shortcomings of English duo Luke Littler and Luke Humphries, who have both failed to reach any of the nightly finals.
The former World Cup partners assume the top two positions in the live Order of Merit, but have been unable to find their rhythm so far.
To be fair to Luke Humphries, he probably deserves to be positioned a little higher in the table. The defending Premier League champion has hit the joint-most 180s (22) alongside current leader Jonny Clayton, while the same two players are the only ones to possess a 100+ average following the first three nights of action.
Littler’s only victory in this year’s competition ironically came against Humphries, when the Warrington-born superstar squeezed past his compatriot in Belgium. After receiving a bye through the first round last Thursday as a result of Michael van Gerwen’s absence, Littler was hammered by Jonny Clayton in the semi-finals.
Having been a controversial selection for this year’s Premier League roster following a patchy run of form, Stephen Bunting has done little to silence those who were critical of his inclusion.
The 40-year-old Merseysider hasn’t come close to landing a victory as of yet, although he has encountered each of the current top three in his opening set of quarter-final ties.
Josh Rock has also failed to register a single win after being drawn against three intimidating opponents early on, losing by the same 6-2 scoreline to Jonny Clayton, Michael van Gerwen, and Luke Humphries.
While there is no shame in being beaten by this highly capable trio, the stats suggest that the Northern Irishman could be out of his depth.
As well as possessing the worst checkout percentage (28.57%) in the competition, he has registered the fewest 180s (3) and the lowest volume of 100+ points tallies (37) on his visits to the oche.
Nevertheless, with the backing of a heavily partisan crowd, don’t be surprised if Rock significantly improves his outputs in Belfast following a shaky start to his maiden Premier League campaign. Does he belong amongst the big boys? Will likely find out later this week.
Night 4: Quarter-final Draw
Thursday night’s marquee quarter-final tie pits reigning world champion Luke Littler against Premier League leader Jonny Clayton, although the arrival of Josh Rock for his meeting with Gian van Veen will undoubtedly generate plenty of excitement inside the SSE Arena.
Elsewhere, there’s an all-English contest between Stephen Bunting and Luke Humphries, while Gerwyn Price will hope to land a second nightly triumph when he takes on the returning Michael van Gerwen.
Here is the full quarter-final draw for Night 4:
QF1: Luke Littler (England) v Jonny Clayton (Wales)
QF2: Stephen Bunting (England) v Luke Humphries (England)
QF3: Michael van Gerwen (Netherlands) v Gerwyn Price (Wales)
QF4: Gian van Veen (Netherlands) v Josh Rock (Northern Ireland)
The winners of QF1 and QF2 will clash in the first semi-final, while those who emerge victorious in QF3 and QF4 also meet each other in the last four.
Where to watch on TV or live stream?
As part of their comprehensive coverage of PDC premier events, Sky Sports will be screening every minute of this year’s Premier League Darts campaign. That enables Sky Sports viewers to watch all 16 nightly events, as well as May’s curtain-closer in the capital.
This week’s action in Belfast will be shown on Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Main Event, while those with a relevant subscription can enjoy a premium viewing experience on Sky Sports UHDR.
The PDC are streaming live footage from the SSE Arena via their dedicated app service, but this feed isn’t available to customers in the UK and Ireland (or Austria, Germany and Switzerland for that matter). However, PDC TV has retained broadcasting rights for a handful of premier darts tournaments, while also offering customers the chance to snap up event tickets before they’re released on general sale. Access to PDV TV is priced at £5.99 per month, although a full year’s membership can be purchased at the discounted rate of £59.99.
Premier League Darts Night 4 – Odds
To win Night 4:
Click here to access these odds.
The odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change. All odds provided by bet365.
Premier League Darts Night 4 – FAQ’s
1. What time does Premier League Darts Night 4 start?
As is the case for most Premier League meetings, this week’s event will commence at 19:00 (BST)
2. Where can I watch Premier League Darts on TV?
Sky Sports is the home of Premier League Darts (and most other tournaments on the PDC circuit) in the United Kingdom. Thursday night’s action will be televised live on Sky Sports Action, Sky Sports Main Event, and Sky Sports UHDR.
3. Is Michael van Gerwen playing in Night 4?
Yes. After illness ruled him out of Night 3, Michael van Gerwen will be competing in Belfast.
4. How do the Premier League playoffs work?
Following the initial 16-night league phase, the four highest-ranked players in the Premier League table advance to the playoffs. These four players will then battle it out at London’s 02 Arena to be crowned overall champion.
Jonny Clayton, Michael van Gerwen, Gian van Veen, and Gerwyn Price currently occupy the playoff positions.