World champion Luke Littler has received a bye into the semi-finals of the Premier League event in Glasgow on Thursday after Michael van Gerwen withdrew from their scheduled quarter-final. The Dutchman pulled out of the third of 16 events in the Premier League season due to a "medical issue."
Van Gerwen has been in strong form in the competition's opening weeks, having won the first night and finishing runner-up on the second to go top of the table. Last week in Antwerp, he beat Littler on his way to the final, where he was defeated by Gerwyn Price. His withdrawal means Littler will receive two points in the standings, and the world champion's leg difference will improve by one, while Van Gerwen's leg difference will decrease by six, as matches are first to six legs.
The Premier League Darts format sees eight players compete across 16 initial weeks in the league stage, with quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a final each night. Players are guaranteed to face each other in the quarter-finals in weeks one to seven and 9-15, with week eight and week 16 fixtures determined by the table. Points are awarded as follows: two points per quarter-final win, an additional point for a semi-final win, and five points for winning the night. The top four after the group stage progress to the play-off night at London's O2 Arena on 23 May, where first faces fourth and second faces third in best-of-19-leg matches, followed by a best-of-21-leg final. Tie-breakers are decided by nights won and then matches won.
In Glasgow's OVO Hydro on Thursday, 19 February, the quarter-finals feature Stephen Bunting versus Gian van Veen, Luke Humphries against Josh Rock, and Jonny Clayton taking on Gerwyn Price, with Littler now advancing directly. The semi-finals will pit the winner of Bunting/Van Veen against the winner of Humphries/Rock, while Littler will face the winner of Clayton/Price. The final will then be contested between the two semi-final victors. Live text updates are available on the BBC Sport website and app from 19:00 GMT.
