A darts star has been forced to withdraw from the Saudi Arabia Masters, with organisers confirming a late replacement ahead of the tournament’s debut.
The news comes shortly after the conclusion of the 2026 Bahrain Darts Masters, where Stephen Bunting began the week as defending champion. However, it was Michael van Gerwen who emerged victorious, edging past fellow Dutchman Gian van Veen 8-6 in a high-quality final.
Van Gerwen’s path to the title included a semi-final win over Gerwyn Price, who had earlier caused a major upset by defeating reigning world champion Luke Littler in the quarter-finals.
Reflecting on his triumph, van Gerwen said:
“It always feels good, especially when you win. Of course, it wasn’t too easy today. I made it a little bit difficult here and there for myself, but overall I played some really good darts, and that’s what helped me get over the line.”
Attention now turns to the Saudi Arabia Masters, which takes place next week for the first time. The World Series event will feature eight leading PDC players competing against eight Asian representatives.
The PDC contingent includes Littler, van Gerwen, van Veen, Price and Bunting, alongside Luke Humphries, Danny Noppert and Nathan Aspinall.
However, organisers have confirmed that Paolo Nebrida has withdrawn from the event due to illness. He will be replaced by Nitin Kumar of India.
In a statement, the PDC said:
“Nitin Kumar will replace Paolo Nebrida in the field for the 2026 Riyadh Season Darts Masters following Nebrida’s withdrawal from the event due to illness.
“Kumar, who made history as the first Indian player to win a match on the Alexandra Palace stage at the 2025/26 World Darts Championship, joins the 16-player field as one of eight Asian representatives.”
Saudi Arabia Masters Line-up
PDC Representatives
Luke Littler (England)
Luke Humphries (England)
Gian van Veen (Netherlands)
Michael van Gerwen (Netherlands)
Stephen Bunting (England)
Danny Noppert (Netherlands)
Gerwyn Price (Wales)
Nathan Aspinall (England)
Asian Representatives
Alexis Toylo (Philippines)
Lourence Ilagan (Philippines)
Motomu Sakai (Japan)
Ryusei Azemoto (Japan)
Paul Lim (Singapore)
Man Lok Leung (Hong Kong)
Tomoya Goto (Japan)
Nitin Kumar (India)
The Saudi Arabia Masters is set to mark another significant step in darts’ global expansion, with fans eager to see how the mixed field of established stars and emerging talent performs on the World Series stage.
