“Someone is going to have to step up” – Wayne Mardle sees Littler and Humphries dominance continuing
Wayne Mardle: Littler and Humphries’ Darts Dominance to Persist Unless Rivals Step Up
Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle has warned that Luke Littler and Luke Humphries’ stranglehold on the 2025 Premier League Darts, culminating in Humphries’ 11-8 final win on May 29, 2025, at The O2, will continue unless rivals elevate their game, per SkySports.com. Their supremacy, likened to tennis star Carlos Alcaraz’s clay-court reign, raises concerns about predictability, echoing challenges faced by athletes like Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka.[](https://www.skysports.com/darts/news/12288/13376523/premier-league-darts-2025-wayne-mardle-calls-on-luke-humphries-and-luke-littlers-rivals-to-step-up-as-domination-continues)
**Mardle’s Call for Rivals to Challenge**
Mardle predicted a decade-long reign for the “two Lukes,” stating, “The Lukes are going to be the mainstay of the darting world. People are going to have to play really well to get the better of these two,” per SkySports.com. He emphasized that if their hunger persists, “someone is going to have to step up. Maybe we don’t know the next champion,” per GreatDriffieldRadio.co.uk. Littler, 18, won a record six nightly events and led with 40 points, while Humphries, with three nightly wins and 34 points, claimed his first Premier League title, per PDC.tv. Their 23rd clash in the final, with Humphries narrowing Littler’s head-to-head lead to 13-10, underscored their gap over peers, per MKFM.com.[]
**Dominance and PDC’s Dilemma**
Littler and Humphries won 10 of 16 regular-season nights, with Littler’s 102.07 final average and Humphries’ 99.12 showcasing their elite level, per Telegraph.co.uk. Only Gerwyn Price (27 points) and Nathan Aspinall (25 points) reached the playoffs, while Michael van Gerwen, with one nightly win, missed out for only the second time, per GBNews.com. Mardle previously likened Littler’s rise to a young van Gerwen, but noted van Gerwen’s current form can’t match the Lukes, saying, “I don’t think his best now would be able to cope with Littler or Humphries,” per DartsNews.com. Posts on X, like @DartsNews02, echoed Mardle’s view, per, while @DurellThe called Humphries a “paper number 1” behind Littler, per.[
*Rivals’ Struggles and Potential**
Van Gerwen’s 22% double success in his 6-2 loss to Aspinall in Sheffield highlighted his decline, per GBNews.com. Mardle pinpointed van Gerwen’s withdrawal from Berlin’s Night 9 as a turning point, per GBNews.com. Other top players, like Michael Smith and Peter Wright, also faltered, with Smith absent from the 2025 lineup and Wright nearing career’s end, per DartsNews.com. Mardle sees hope in Gary Anderson, who could emerge from van Gerwen’s half at the World Championship, per DartsNews.com, and outsiders like Josh Rock or Rob Cross, per Mirror.co.uk. However, Littler’s 2024 World Championship and six World Series titles, and Humphries’ Triple Crown (Premier League, World Championship, World Matchplay), set a high bar, per SkySports.com,.[](https://www.gbnews.com/sport/darts/michael-van-gerwen-blow-giving-up-darts)[](https://www.gbnews.com/sport/darts/michael-van-gerwen-blow-giving-up-darts)[](https://dartsnews.com/pdc/i-dont-think-his-best-now-would-be-able-to-cope-with-littler-or-humphries-wayne-mardle-doubts-michael-van-gerwens-world-darts-championship-hopes)
**Parallels to Tennis Resilience**
The PDC’s challenge mirrors tennis, where Mats Wilander warned Alcaraz about inconsistency after his 2025 French Open win, per Tennis365.com. Sabalenka’s call for toxic coaches to quit and Osaka’s anxiety-driven training reflect athletes pushing for systemic change, like Littler’s Belgium venue proposal, per ESPN.com, TMZ.com, Express.co.uk. Sam Querrey’s prediction of ATP rule tweaks for Ruud and de Minaur’s complaints parallels the need for darts rivals to adapt, per TheTennisGazette.com.
Conclusion
Wayne Mardle foresees Luke Littler and Luke Humphries dominating darts for years unless rivals like Anderson or Cross step up, per SkySports.com. Their 2025 Premier League sweep, with 10 nightly wins, exposes a competitive gap, per PDC.tv. Like Alcaraz’s clay reign, Sabalenka’s coaching critique, and Osaka’s grit, the Lukes’ reign demands adaptation. They next compete at the Nordic Darts Masters, June 6-7, live on Sky Sports.
