Stephen Bunting to finish in the top 4

There’s some nice odds-boosting value in taking Stephen Bunting to finish in the top 4 and make finals night this year. The world no. 5 comes into the Premier League in great shape and will be 1 of the fan favourites over the 16-week league phase.

The 39-year-old has won 9/11 matches since the World Championship (where he gave the PDC no choice but to select him for the PL after reaching the semi-final), winning the Bahrain Darts Masters and reaching the final of the Dutch Darts Masters the following week – beating Humphries in Bahrain and Littler in the Netherlands.

He did not defend his World Masters title last week, but reached the quarter-final and still averaged over 101 in defeat to former UK Open champion Danny Noppert.

In this market, Littler and Humphries are understandably heavily odds-on, with Michael van Gerwen the third-shortest price, despite the latter having a very underwhelming 2024 until his run to the final of the World Championship.

Bunting is 4th-favourite at a backable odds-on price, while his TV form over the last 6 months or so comfortably trumps that of Gerwyn Price, Chris Dobey, Rob Cross and Nathan Aspinall.

Having earned his spot, he’ll relish the opportunity, whereas the gruelling format may not suit a declining Price, an out-of-sorts Aspinall, and Cross – who may have been dropped from the league if he didn’t automatically qualify due to his ranking, after failing to win a single night (there are 16 in the league phase) of last year’s Premier League.

Michael van Gerwen to finish in the top 4

Unsurprisingly, Michael van Gerwen is amongst the favourites to win the 2025 Premier League. With a record-breaking seven triumphs, the ‘Green Machine’ has carved his name in history as the undisputed king of this competition.

Not only has the Dutchman racked up an unprecedented seven Premier League titles, he has also finished as runner-up on two occasions. What’s more, MVG is also one of only two players to have ever successfully defended the Premier League trophy, winning four in succession between 2016 and 2019 before going back-to-back the year before last.

Thus, van Gerwen’s efficiency in the Premier League makes him an appealing prospect to once again plot his path to the play-off stage. Across his previous 12 appearances in the competition, MVG has only twice failed to make it to finals night.

He showed at the recent World Darts Championships that he remains a force to be reckoned with and another strong showing is now expected of the Dutchman in his pursuit
of another Premier League title.

Chris Dobey to finish bottom of the league

Chris Dobey looks overpriced to finish bottom of the 2025 Premier League. ‘Hollywood’ finds himself back in the competition as a full-time competitor for just the second time, having previously featured two years ago.

During his maiden Premier League campaign in 2023, Dobey placed seventh, finishing above an out-of-sorts Peter Wright – who also propped up the table in 2024. With ‘Snakebite’ not making the cut this year, there is no obvious candidate to collect the wooden spoon, however Dobey warrants support.

The Newcastle ace fell to defeat in 15 of his 23 Premier League matches two years ago, with three of his eight victories arriving on the opening night.

While Dobey put in a strong showing to reach the semi-final stage of the 2025 World Darts Championships, his form since then is a slight cause for concern. He has fallen at the first hurdle in both the World Masters and the Dutch Masters, not to mention he was whitewashed 6-0 by Stephen Bunting in Bahrain.

Having missed out last year, Dobey could also struggle with the gruelling travel demands and packed schedule, something the majority of the other players in the eight-man field will be more accustomed to.

Luke Littler is the overwhelming favourite to win the 2025 Premier League and it is hard to look past the teenage sensation to triumph for the second year in succession. ‘The Nuke’s’ meteoric rise to stardom has shown no signs of slowing down since winning last year’s showpiece. He has since added the Grand Slam and a maiden world title to his growing collection of silverware.

In his debut season in the Premier League last year, Littler took to the 17 week roadshow like a duck to water. He finished top of the league phase over the first 16 weeks of action, winning a mighty impressive 23 of his 35 matches. In doing so, Littler equalled the Premier League points record (40) set by Jonny Clayton back in 2022. That haul was made all the more impressive by the fact that Littler was the weekly winner on 4 occasions and contested 2 other finals. On top of that, the Warrington wonderkid lost his opening match of the night just 3 times.

Less than one year on, Littler has multiple titles and a bit more experience under his belt, making him the worthy favourite for a successful Premier League title defence.

Luke Humphries looks well placed to claim what would be a maiden Premier League title this year. ‘Cool Hand’ looked right at home during his debut campaign in 2024. The world number one placed second in the table and finished as runner-up overall, losing out to Luke Littler in the final. He pocketed the weekly prize on 4 separate nights, including 3 on the bounce over weeks 6, 7 and 8.

Since last year’s Premier League, Humphries has further cemented his position as one of the best players on the planet by winning the World Matchplay and by also successfully defending his Players Championship Finals title. On top of that, the Newbury ace will enter this year’s event brimming with confidence after being crowned the inaugural Winmau World Masters champion on Sunday night.

That triumph serves up a timely reminder of how big a threat and how difficult Humphries will be to get past in this year’s Premier League. He looks almost nailed-on to be in the top-four and that alone makes him an attractive option at the odds on offer to go one better this time around in his pursuit of glory.