Luke Littler has surged to the top of the Premier League Darts standings after eight nights, declaring "now they can all try and catch me." The young Englishman secured his third nightly win in four weeks—and his second in a row—by defeating Michael van Gerwen in the final in Berlin, confirming his status as the form player. Littler, who started slowly and was once seventh with just a few points, has reversed roles from chaser to the one being chased. He stated, "Yeah, I'm feeling very good, better than the first few weeks. But yeah, now I'm at the top, I don't want to move from there. I want to stay at the top."
Littler's victory was highlighted by his sharp checkouts, including two 170 finishes—the 'Big Fish' via two treble 20s and the bullseye—which are becoming a signature. He also hit a 126 on the bull. Reflecting on these finishes, Littler said, "Yeah, I mean obviously with the new darts in practice, I was pretty much hitting the bull every time. So when I was on stage, I fancied myself. I obviously hit a 126 on the bull as well, but yeah, them two 170s felt special." He added about Van Gerwen's reaction, "Yeah, hopefully. But it's just good to see Michael, he's smiling, he's getting back to his best, and it's so good to see us having better games with each other."
Behind the scenes, equipment tweaks played a role. Littler opted for a tweaked set of darts for the night, explaining, "Yeah, I mean coming into tonight, I said to Mum and Dad, 'We might as well try these out, if I win my first game, that's two points on the board.' Yeah, they're a bit different. I think Target rushed a bit to get them over to Saudi with me, so there were a few little things not right. But yeah, even when I got them on before, these looked way better, and yeah, they worked out." This underscores the fine margins at the top level of darts.
Looking ahead, Littler is well on course for the Play-Offs in London at The O2 Arena, with the traditional cutoff around 24 to 25 points. He noted, "Yeah, I mean the last few years I think it's been about 24 or 25 points. So as long as we get past them points, then I think I can say I'm definitely in." Off the oche, Littler has made headlines for using a personal chef during the Premier League, a practical choice he discussed, and he recently met England football stars like Jude Bellingham, calling it "crazy" and "good to see all the players and have some dinner with them."
In Germany, Littler was pleasantly surprised by the crowd, mentioning a fan club with about 100 members and respectful support. He said, "The crowd were very good tonight and very respectful. But yeah, it's just all about my schedule, doing days and weekends with sponsors. But yeah, if it comes around and I need to go to places like Germany to get to Dortmund, then obviously I'll have to go." With his current form and confidence, Littler's message remains clear: he intends to stay at the top.
