Wayne Mardle says Luke Humphries will use the Premier League darts campaign to prove his point as the defending champions fly under the radar.
Humphries clinched Premier League glory by defeating Luke Littler in the 2025 final at London’s O2 Arena.
But since then, the stories have all been about ‘The Nuke’, who won World Grand Prix, Grand Slams, the World No. 1 spot and became the first back-to-back World Champion in 10 years at just 18 years old.
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Highlights of last year’s Premier League darts final between Luke Humphries and Luke Littler
Not only that, but Jan van Veen made his mark by defeating Humphries in the quarter-finals of the World Darts Championship, helping him rise to No. 3 in the world en route to qualifying for the final.
This means storylines have diverged in the world of darts, which sees more than just a Luke vs. Luke rivalry as an option.
For Mardle, Humphries will use that as a driving force as he looks to defend his Premier League title after a narrow loss to Littler at the Winmaw World Masters on Sunday.
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Luke Littler defeats Michael van Gerwen to become inaugural Saudi Darts Masters champion – the day before his 19th birthday
“Luke Littler is that guy, and Luke Humphries said that at the Grand Slam in November,” Mardle said.
“Humphries is going to fight to the end. This could be a good thing for him, because we went very quickly — and when I say we, I’m talking about the media — we decided on Luke and Luke right away, and that’s it.”
“And then it was Littler and the other players. Well, Jan van Veen came along and ruined everything regarding Humphries, because the way he dismantled him in the quarterfinals (of the World Championship) was unbelievable.
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Highlights of the World Championship quarter-final match between Luke Humphries and Jan van Veen
“Littler says he likes being under the radar. I don’t know much about Humphries, but he wants people to talk about him and I think he has a point to prove.
“He and Michael van Gerwen are players who have a point to prove. I want to see them give it their all and basically say ‘don’t forget me’.
“No one is going to forget Humphries in a hurry because he’s going to be around for a long time.”
MVG needs to get the 2025 campaign right.
Another player with a lot to prove in the Premier League is Van Gerwen.
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Luke Littler defeats Michael van Gerwen to become inaugural Saudi Darts Masters champion – the day before his 19th birthday
He got off to a strong start in 2026, winning the Bahrain Darts Masters and reaching the final of the inaugural Saudi Darts Masters, but a year ago he failed to win a single game on the Premier League circuit and missed out on final night.
Mardle wants to continue showing why he is still one of the best players in the world, but believes MVG will need to adapt to the role of an “old statesman” trying to sway young up-and-comers.
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Matt Edgar and Paul Nicholson discuss Michael van Gerwen’s form for 2026 on Love The Darts
“In a way I’m worried about Michael van Gerwen. I don’t know what’s going to happen to him,” he said. “Last year, he didn’t make the playoffs for the first time in a while. He’s not as much of a winner now as he used to be.
“He’s still a player that needs to be at the forefront of everyone’s minds because he can win anything. But it looks like there’s a new breed of players out there, Littler, Humphries, Van Veen.
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Love The Darts says Chris Murphy doesn’t know what to expect from Michael van Gerwen in this year’s Premier League
“It’s old and new and Van Gerwen is now an elder statesman in terms of experience and everything and he will want to go all in.
“In 2024, he won four weeks in the Premier League. Last year he didn’t win anything. He has to get it right. The pressure is on him.”
Who will win this year’s Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries will defend his title and you can watch the match every Thursday on Sky Sports from February to May. Stream darts and other top sports now.
