Night nine of the Premier League heads to Manchester’s AO Arena, and Luke Littler is perfectly poised to continue his dominance.
Littler’s stunning performance in Berlin saw him pick up his third nightly win in four weeks, and as a result, replace Jonny Clayton at the top of the table.
The 19-year-old produced three breathtaking displays, including not one, but two 170 checkouts in the final against Michael van Gerwen.
The Nuke even recorded a ton-plus average across his three matches and was clinical on the outer ring, making him an unstoppable force.
So, ahead of night nine in Manchester, his Premier League rivals will be hoping he has an off day to end his recent dominance as NineDartNews predicts how the evening could play out.
Michael van Gerwen vs Stephen Bunting
In the first quarter-final of the night, Van Gerwen faces a showdown against Stephen Bunting, with a closely fought encounter expected.
Van Gerwen ended his five-match losing streak in the competition by reaching the final last week and arguably played some of the best darts we’ve seen from the Dutchman in a long time.
The 36-year-old recorded 6-3 victories over Luke Humphries and Josh Rock before putting up a strong fight against Littler, only to lose 6-4 with a 103 average.
LITTLER WINS WITH ANOTHER BIG FISH 🤯🤯🤯
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) March 26, 2026
Utterly, utterly ridiculous from Luke Littler 😮💨
The World Champion pins his SECOND Big Fish of the final to defeat Michael van Gerwen 6-4 to win in Berlin and move top of the table 👏
📲 https://t.co/gFQK4rQ2wU#PLDarts | Final pic.twitter.com/F4tjsMBdgR
Bunting also shared a similar pain to Van Gerwen in his quarter-final clash, as he lost 6-3 against the Nuke despite his average trickling over 107.
The Bullet performed exceptionally well in that match and will have a great chance of making the top four if he can consistently produce those levels.
A win over Mighty Mike would reduce the deficit to just four points, depending on results elsewhere. Still, we expect Van Gerwen to deliver in the decisive moments and narrowly get the better of his opponent.
Prediction: Van Gerwen 6-4 Bunting
Gerwyn Price vs Luke Humphries
Gerwyn Price has been exceptional in this year’s Premier League, and could have added to his one nightly win if it wasn’t for Littler’s brilliance.
Currently in third position, Price dropped a five-leg lead to lose 6-5 in the final on night seven, and was beaten 6-4 by the Nuke in last week’s semi-final.
The Welshman arguably competes the best against the 19-year-old out of any player in the sport, but as he found out in Berlin, it’s difficult to beat anyone averaging 108 and hitting 46% of their doubles.
Price now faces a crucial quarter-final clash against Humphries in Manchester, and the outcome could be decisive in the play-off race.
| Pos | Player | Pts | Nights Won |
| 1 | Luke Littler | 21 | 3 |
| 2 | Jonny Clayton | 19 | 2 |
| 3 | Gerwyn Price | 14 | 1 |
| 4 | Michael van Gerwen | 13 | 1 |
| 5 | Luke Humphries | 11 | 0 |
| 6 | Gian van Veen | 9 | 0 |
| 7 | Stephen Bunting | 7 | 1 |
| 8 | Josh Rock | 2 | 0 |
The Iceman is currently three points ahead of his fifth-place opponent, with victory extending that cushion. However, wins for Humphries and Van Gerwen could see him drop out of the top four.
Humphries was thrashed 6-1 by Price on night seven and suffered a quarter-final at the hands of Van Gerwen last week after hitting just three of his 10 attempts at double.
Poor doubling has been the story of his tournament so far, and more failures on the outer ring could see the Welshman capitalise.
Prediction: Price 6-5 Humphries
Gian van Veen vs Luke Littler
Gian van Veen returned from his kidney stone operation last week to a 6-1 punishment by Price.
The 23-year-old wasn’t at his usual high standard, and that was to be expected after suffering from low energy levels and fatigue, but an extra week of practice will have done him a world of good.
That being said, he couldn’t face a more difficult assignment on paper than a clash against Littler, and he will need to be close to perfect to secure a semi-final place.
Littler is playing darts from a different galaxy at the moment, so it will be surprising if he averages below 100 and gives his opponent encouragement on the doubles.
Instead, the teenager will expect to run away with his contest and continue to prove why he’s the world No. 1.
Prediction: Van Veen 2-6 Littler
Jonny Clayton vs Josh Rock
Rock secured his first victory of the Premier League at the eighth time of asking last week, dispatching Clayton 6-3 in Berlin.
ROCK BAGS FIRST PREMIER LEAGUE WIN! 🔥
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) March 26, 2026
Look at what it means to the Northern Irishman 🙌
Josh Rock downs none other than league leader Jonny Clayton 6-3 to get his first win in the Premier League in Berlin 👏
📲 https://t.co/gFQK4rQ2wU#PLDarts | QF1 pic.twitter.com/O7hakdJiYE
The 24-year-old capitalised on a rare poor display from Clayton, who averaged 89 and was outclassed by his opponent on the outer ring.
But the Northern Irishman wasn’t exactly brilliant himself, as he also averaged below 90, but he did enough to break his duck and take the pressure off.
Rock then missed 13 of his 16 darts at double in his semi-final defeat to Van Gerwen, as he returned to being wasteful in the decisive moments.
However, Clayton will be determined to bounce back from last week’s loss, and if he can return to his usual standard, he should comfortably dispatch Rocky.
Prediction: Clayton 6-3 Rock
Semi-finals
Price 6-4 Van Gerwen
Littler 6-2 Clayton
Final
Littler 6-3 Price
