Gian van Veen has experienced a topsy-turvy Premier League campaign on debut and is fighting for a play-off spot.
The 23-year-old reached the final on three of the opening four evenings, but failed at the last hurdle to secure a nightly win and the £10,000 prize.
Since then, Van Veen has lost at the quarter-final stage on his last three attempts and was forced to pull out of the action in Dublin after undergoing surgery to remove kidney stones.
A fatigued and low-on-energy Van Veen returned to Premier League action in Berlin last week and was thrashed 6-1 by Gerwyn Price. Now, he faces an uphill climb to finish in the top four spots.
Gian van Veen can still make Premier League play-offs
Ahead of a gruelling showdown against Luke Littler in Manchester on Thursday, the Dutchman is four points behind fourth-place Michael van Gerwen.
Ironically, the Green Machine was the man who benefited most from his absence on night seven, as he was given a bye into the semi-finals.
| 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 |
Van Veen is scheduled to play Van Gerwen in the quarter-final on night 10, and if he loses against Littler this week, that could prove to be a make-or-break fixture in his pursuit of the play-offs.
Failure to win either of the next two quarter-final matches could open a huge gap once he plays Luke Humphries on night 11, with the Giant needing to recapture his early-season form.
Van Veen must improve his scoring
A key feature of Van Veen’s game is being incredibly consistent on the checkouts and having the ability to take out the big finishes.
HISTORY FOR VAN VEEN! 👏
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) October 26, 2025
What a moment for Gian van Veen!
The World Youth Champion defeats his Dutch rival Michael van Gerwen in a brilliant battle to secure a spot in his first televised ranking final!
📺 https://t.co/Y03KoHflpK#ECDarts pic.twitter.com/Eh3LwE5dG2
He has the third-best doubling (42.96%) in the competition, behind only Price and Jonny Clayton, while his scoring has dropped below its usual standard.
Normally a clinical two-treble hitter, Van Veen has only recorded a ton-plus average in two of his 13 matches, and he’s hit the third-fewest 180’s (27).
Of course, being absent one week and not fully fit the next hasn’t helped his cause, but this hasn’t just been a recent struggle; it’s happened across the entire tournament.
When he has left a finish, he’s been ice cold, but the scoring phase of his game has lagged behind. That is something he must change quickly, or he could miss out on Finals Night at London’s 02 Arena in May.
