Talk of the Premier League introducing a reserve competitor has reared its head after Gian van Veen recently became the second player in 2026 to miss a night.
Michael van Gerwen was the first after he pulled out of night three through illness, and then Van Veen was absent from the action in Dublin following surgery to remove kidney stones.
Van Veen then made the trip to Germany last week, despite feeling fatigued and having low energy levels, before suffering a 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Gerwyn Price in the quarter-finals.
Renewed discussions over the Premier League’s format have emerged after Van Gerwen received a bye into the semi-finals in Dublin, as Van Veen surrendered a -6 leg difference and no points.
But Price disagrees with one change that is being proposed to combat the above issue.
Premier League could bring back ‘Contenders/Challengers’ concept
There’s a debate over the Premier League bringing the ‘Contenders’ and ‘Challengers’ concept back into action to maintain the structure of the evening.
First introduced in 2019, the concept allowed local players to perform in front of home crowds and arguably delivered some of the best moments in the competition’s history.
Price has been a part of both formats, and he thinks bringing this idea back would be unfair to the main eight players.
“I think that would be totally unfair,” Price said via Sky Sports. “When you had the challengers, it was a good idea, but unfair to the players that are playing the challengers.
“Every player is a different standard, and one person could play Fallon Sherrock, someone could play Chris Dobey, someone could play Luke Humphries, like I did.
“I think if you’re looking at the problems with the format, at the minute where it is probably a little bit repetitive and if someone is ill, then there’s no way of trying to get those points back.
“If they miss a week, somebody gets gifted points, which is a little bit unfair but I’m not sure what they’re going to do about it.”
Price is right to reject this change
While this concept gives players outside the Premier League a chance to compete, it does impact the integrity of the competition.
As Price said, the quality of opponents can differ, and this would impact the overall standings, making a mockery of the tournament rather than improving it.
The current format is fine the way it is and is arguably more competitive than it was before, as there’s something to play for each night.
Of course, players pulling out due to unforeseen circumstances makes it ‘unfair’, but having a ‘challenger’ replace them could ruin the table.
If the reserve player has a stormer and wins the night, they will get five points for the individual who is absent. That would be a great watch for the fans, but frustrating for those competing, which is why there is no fair solution.
