Luke Littler among four world darts champions to pull out of £15,000 tournament as Luke Humphries bucks trend by playing

Luke Littler among four world darts champions to pull out of £15,000 tournament as Luke Humphries bucks trend by playing

Four of the biggest names in world darts have sat out this week’s Players Championship 9 in Wigan — but defending Premier League champion Luke Humphries has bucked the trend by showing up.

The event takes place on Monday 13 April at the Robin Park Tennis Centre in Wigan, with the £15,000 winner’s prize on offer. Yet the elite of the sport are largely absent. Big names who will miss the event include PDC world number one Luke Littler, Michael van Gerwen, Gian van Veen, Gary Anderson and Ryan Searle.

Littler — the back-to-back world champion and current Premier League leader — continues his near-total boycott of the Pro Tour floor circuit in 2026. The Nuke, triumphant at the Players Championship Finals in Minehead last November, has extended his tally of non-appearances in these events to a rather conspicuous total. Van Gerwen, three-time world champion, is also absent, as is two-time world champion Gary Anderson. Van Veen, who reached the 2026 World Championship final against Littler in January, completes the four-man quartet of high-profile withdrawals.

In sharp contrast, world number two Luke Humphries will be taking part, along with his Premier League compatriots Gerwyn Price, Jonny Clayton, Josh Rock and Stephen Bunting. Humphries, who won Players Championship 4 in Wigan back in February, is making his second ProTour appearance of the season. The former world champion said after that victory: “There’s going to be a lot of graft this year, but if I keep playing like that then the rewards will come.”

Former world champions Peter Wright, Michael Smith and Rob Cross are also in attendance, along with other notable names including Nathan Aspinall, Ricky Evans, Joe Cullen, Beau Greaves, Chris Dobey and Damon Heta.

The absence of Littler and Van Gerwen in particular has reshaped the race for the Players Championship Order of Merit, which determines the 64 qualifiers for the Players Championship Finals in Minehead in November. Wessel Nijman currently leads the order with winnings of £48,000, followed by Chris Dobey on £37,500 and Gerwyn Price in third on £32,750. With big names unlikely to play throughout the year, names such as Nijman, Ross Smith, Damon Heta and Gerwyn Price are expected to dominate the top of the order.

Play commences at 1pm BST, with multi-board coverage streamed live via PDCTV and bookmaker platforms.