Premier League Darts Night 1 preview: Michael van Gerwen the early frontrunner
Darts fanatics have been waiting for their weekly fix, and they finally have it in the form of Premier League Darts 2023, with eight of the best players in the world battling it out for the £275,000 prize.
The competition starts on Thursday, February 2nd at The SSE Arena, Belfast, with the tournament coming to its climax for the playoffs on Thursday, May 25th at The O2, London.
We preview the best of the action below.
Background
The top four players in the world rankings (Michael Smith, Peter Wright, Gerwyn Price and Michael van Gerwen) are automatically invited to the Premier League Darts competition, while the other four participants (Jonny Clayton, Nathan Aspinall, Dimitri Van den Bergh and Chris Dobey) are decided by the PDC and Sky Sports.
The tournament consists of 17 nights of action at 17 different venues, with £10,000 for the winner of each night. The playoffs are held from the 25th of May to determine who shall be victorious and claim the £275,000 prize money, along with the illustrious Premier League title.
MVG the early favourite
Reigning champion Michael van Gerwen is the early 2/1 frontrunner to claim the Premier League crown. The legendary Dutchman is chasing a record-breaking seventh Premier League title and looks well situated to do so as this year’s outright favourite.
Van Gerwen comes into this competition off the back of a loss to Rob Cross at the Masters but fared better at the PDC World Championship, making it to the final before bowing out to Michael Smith on the 4th of January in a thrilling tournament climax.
Michael Smith set for glory?
Michael Smith is the current World Champion and the top-ranked darts player globally, heading into the invitational competition as the second favourite at 7/2. The Englishman bettered Michael van Gerwen at the PDC World Championship final to claim the number one spot.
Smith’s last outing at the Masters saw him lose to the eventual winner, Chris Dobey, in the semi-finals. Given his opponents success in the tournament, Smith’s performance certainly can be looked upon with positivity.
The Iceman could steal the show
Gerwyn Price, also known as The Iceman, heads into this tournament for the fifth time and is 4/1 to steal the prize. However, following his recent first-round losses at both the Masters and the PDC World Championship, triumph here may be too tall of an order.
The 2021 PDC World Champion has also forced the board’s hand in blocking The Iceman (and all other contestants) from wearing ear protection to block out the noise of the crowd, although Price has complained about the challenge hecklers pose. Either way, the 2021 champion will be heading out without ear protection at this year’s Premier League.
Snakebite out to upset the competition
World number two, Peter Wright, looks good value here at 11/2 to better his 2017 runner-up performance and secure his first Premier League title, as he makes his tenth consecutive Premier League appearance.
Following a disappointing PDC World Championship, Snakebite managed to reach the semi-finals of the Masters last week and looked on good form, eventually losing out to Rob Price 11-10 in a close encounter. Avid darts fans will be aware of the threat that the extroverted Wright poses, and he can’t be counted out here.
The Ferret to repeat 2021 success?
Welsh darting legend Jonny Clayton is a real threat in the field. The Ferret was victorious at the 2021 Premier League and is 9/1 to repeat the achievement in this year’s title race. Although Clayton had his recent Masters journey end in the quarter-finals to Peter Wright, the Welshman will provide stiff competition to this year’s hopefuls and he has a good chance of going all the way.
Nathan Aspinall eyeing up Premier League title
Nathan Aspinall, the 2020 runner-up, finds himself a 14/1 shot thanks to success in recent months including televised performances at the World Grand Prix and the Grand Slam of Darts, in which he proved he deserves his spot in the Premier League. The Englishman is ranked world number nine, but was rattled at the recent Masters event, going out in the first round after suffering defeat to Stephen Bunting.
Dimitri Van den Bergh out to build on brilliant year
Dimitri Van den Bergh has made progress in recent months, but no moment was more memorable than his PDC World Darts Championship run, making it to the semi-finals before getting knocked out by Michael van Gerwen – a truly worthy opponent. The pair could get a chance to settle the score at this tournament, with Van den Bergh a 14/1 shot to win the title.
Overall, 2022 was a stunning year for Van den Bergh, having secured two World Series titles and reaching the World Matchplay semi-finals. If he can carry this form with him to this tournament he is sure to cause a problem.
Chris Dobey to shine on debut
This will be Chris Dobey’s first Premier League Darts appearance, claiming his spot after the Englishman secured his first ever televised Masters title on Sunday evening, winning 11-7 over Rob Cross.
It’s always refreshing to see new players at the tournament, especially when they are potential stars in the making like Dobey, although he remains a big underdog at 22/1. Can he upset his odds as he did at the Cazoo Masters on Sunday?
