World number one Luke Humphries has taken an early lead in the Premier League after victories over Nathan Aspinall, Michael van Gerwen and Chris Dobey saw him land the spoils on Night One at the SSE Arena in Belfast.
Cool Hand Luke avoids closest rivals Luke Littler and Van Gerwen until a potential final on Night 2 at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, so should be full of confidence in his bid to follow up.
talkSPORT BET welcome offer – Bet £10 Get £30 in free bets
That said, MVG was an impressive champion in Glasgow last year, edging past Humphries 6-5 in a nail-biting final, while Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, Stephen Bunting, Aspinall and Dobey will all believe that they can make their presence felt in front of a fired-up Scottish crowd.
Premier League Darts – Night 2 Tips
- Luke Humphries to win Night Two in Glasgow @ 9/4
- Michael van Gerwen -1.5 legs on handicap vs Stephen Bunting @ 6/5
- Rob Cross +2.5 legs on handicap vs Luke Littler @ 8/11
Humphries well-placed in attempt to double up
Last week Humphries found himself in the same half of the draw as Premier League title rivals Littler and Van Gerwen yet was able to live up to his billing as world number one and get the job done.
However, this week in Glasgow, Cool Hand Luke can dodge those two players until the final and an opening clash with Dobey before a semi-final showdown with Aspinall or Price could see him go all the way again.
Humphries is in a rich vein of form at present, having lost only one of his 14 matches since the end of January, and he will be keen to go one better than when runner-up to Van Gerwen at the OVO Hydro last season.
Van Gerwen should have the Bullet in his sights
Van Gerwen may have seen last week as a missed opportunity having defeated Littler 6-5 only to lose by the same scoreline in the semi-final to Humphries.
However, the Green Machine posted averages of 105.91 and 101.51 in those 11-leg epics and he should be too sharp for opening rival Bunting, who has lost 18 of their previous 20 meetings.
The Bullet is arguably in the form of his life but he will be under pressure to show that he belongs in this eight-player elite event after 10 years outside the Premier League and he has to respond to a 6-4 loss to Cross in his Night One opener.
In-form Cross capable of giving Littler a scare
While Litter’s brilliance is not denied, the world champion can take time to warm to his task in matches over a short format and he should expect a tough test against Cross.
Voltage has had a super start to 2025, winning the Dutch Darts Masters in January as well as taking the Players Championship 1 title in Wigan on Monday, so evidently heads to Glasgow extremely happy with where his game is.
Littler’s 6-5 defeat to Van Gerwen in the quarter-finals in Belfast last week shows that he is not invincible over this distance and Cross is throwing well enough to keep this close.
talkSPORT BET welcome offer – Bet £10 Get £30 in free bets
Odds correct at time of writing and subject to change
18+ New Customers Only. Opt in, bet £10+ on any darts at odds of 2.00+ within 7 days. Get 3x£10 in Free Bets for set markets which expire in 7 days. Scroll down for T&Cs. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- GamCare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.gambleaware.org
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply. gambleaware.org