Stephen Bunting’s chances of finishing in the Premier League’s top four were dealt a blow on Thursday, but the Bullet is still in contention.
Bunting suffered a 6-3 loss against an unstoppable Luke Littler for the second week running, and there was something cruel about his quarter-final exit.
The 40-year-old was exceptional throughout the game and averaged an eye-watering 107.47 in defeat, while also pinning a superb 167 checkout.
''Ohhh Stephen!''
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) March 26, 2026
Stephen Bunting with a 167 checkout ‼️ pic.twitter.com/BKhIvcGcrm
But Littler’s power scoring constantly put his opponent under pressure to hit the decisive finishes, and it was the Nuke who cashed in with 42.86% on the doubles (6/14).
Bunting would have had to play a perfect game to beat the 19-year-old in Berlin, and the same goes for every other player in the Premier League.
Stephen Bunting can still finish in the top four
To average over 107 and still lose proves how high the standard of darts has reached since Littler burst onto the scene.
Encouragingly for Bunting, though, he matched the two-time world champion throughout, and more precision on the two and three-figure outshots could have seen him win the match.
Most importantly, however, the Liverpudlian can take courage from another strong performance that would have arguably resulted in victory against every other player in the competition.
That is why, despite sitting six points behind the top four in seventh position, Bunting can still dream of reaching the play-offs and compete in Finals Night at London’s 02 Arena.
Bunting has recorded the third-highest average in the Premier League (99.87), behind only Littler and Luke Humphries, with the checkouts undoubtedly letting him down.
The Bullet has averaged 36.15% on the finishing, and only the reigning champion Humphries and Josh Rock are worse in that department.
What are Bunting’s upcoming fixtures?
To close the deficit and challenge for the top four, the next couple of weeks are pivotal for Bunting.
He plays a resurgent Michael van Gerwen in Manchester next Thursday, and then it’s another showdown with Littler in week 10.
| 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 Gerwen was excellent in Berlin, securing 6-3 wins over Humphries and Rock before losing 6-4 to Littler in the final.
The Dutchman averaged 99.69 across the night, so if he maintains his performance levels next week, Bunting will need to be at the top of his game.
Indeed, failure to take any points from the next two weeks could see Bunting’s play-off hopes fade away.
