Luke Littler vs Michael van Gerwen: Darts' new rivalry could take off at Premier League 2024

There have been two finals in the sport of darts where Luke Littler has faced off against Michael van Gerwen. The next match that they might compete in is the Premier League Darts, which will be held in Cardiff this Thursday. You can watch the game live on Sky Sports.

Only 14 days after experiencing a painful loss to Luke Humphries in the World Championship final, Littler did the unthinkable and successfully completed a nine-darter in his Bahrain Darts Masters quarter-final against Nathan Aspinall during the first leg.

Things kept improving for Littler, culminating in him making it to the finals and defeating Van Gerwen with an 8-5 scoreline to secure his maiden senior PDC championship. This particular day - January 19, 2024 - will always be remembered as the inception of a fresh rivalry in the sport of darts.

Van Gerwen declared that he would improve himself for their next encounter and would defeat Littler. And he accomplished just that merely a week later, playing in his home country at the Dutch Darts Masters.

Van Gerwen Gets Instant Revenge

The athlete who has won the world championship three times didn't perform to the best of his ability during the competition. Although he managed to make a comeback and beat Raymond van Barneveld, his performance was lackluster in the semi-finals against Gian van Veen.

But just like all exceptional athletes do, Van Gerwen stepped up when it was most crucial and faced off against Littler in the ultimate match.

The two players were evenly matched throughout the game, exchanging blows without any clear advantage for either one. However, in the final phase of the match, Van Gerwen took advantage of Littler's mistake, missing a 170 score, and ultimately won the game 8-6.

Van Gerwen, who clinched his 16th World Series of Darts title, expressed that Luke stressed him out tremendously.

Luke is destined for success in his future endeavors, and while this is common knowledge, you may still desire to obstruct his path. It's critical to take appropriate measures to oppose him, just as I did tonight.

His ability to score is tremendous, so it was necessary for me to persevere, but I'm pleased that I managed to.

"I've faced some extremely challenging games during the past year's finals. There were many instances where I didn't perform up to my potential. Nevertheless, it's crucial to maintain one's determination and resilience, and to never surrender."

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Similarities In Littler And Van Gerwen

Prior to Littler's arrival, Van Gerwen was achieving remarkable success in darts by defeating the sport's top players, Raymond van Barneveld and Phil Taylor. These two icons had a legendary showdown at the 2007 World Championship final.

Van Gerwen, who was only 17 years old at the time, managed to achieve a televised nine-darter in his debut on the PDC tour. Later that year, during his first PDC World Championship match, he came close to defeating Taylor in the first round but missed a match dart. It's intriguing to imagine what might have happened if he managed to hit that dart.

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Littler is still breaking records left and right, winning numerous junior championships and snagging his first senior title at the Irish Open in 2021, all at the age of just 14 years old.

It's amazing that Littler is entering the Premier League Darts tournament as the current World Youth champion. Wayne Mardle, a commentator for Sky Sports Darts, was very impressed by the teenager when he started receiving attention at the World Championship last month.

As someone who loves darts, it was an incredible moment for me to witness. Watching him succeed on a global platform gave me chills. Seeing someone accomplish their goals is truly inspiring, especially when it's someone young and talented like him. These are the moments that make being a fan worth it.

It is possible that we will never witness something similar. We experienced it first with Phil Taylor, and later with Michael van Gerwen. This could be the third occurrence of such an event. I am uncertain about it, but I find myself getting overly excited.

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Glen Durrant, a winner in his first appearance at the Premier League for Sky Sports Darts, has expressed his concerns over the remarkable progress of Littler, stating that it is quite daunting.

We are observing a truly exceptional occurrence - one that we should savor. I have made a pledge to refrain from mentioning his age, as we are witnessing something that only occurs once in a generation," he included.

Respectful Rivalry: A Balanced Competition

Putting aside Littler's young age for a moment, he is undoubtedly among the top-notch dart players at present, along with Humphries and Van Gerwen.

Humphries may have a chance to voice his opinion in the future on who the ultimate player is, but we cannot disregard the fact that Van Gerwen has been the top player for nearly ten years.

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For seven consecutive years, starting from 2014 until 2021, he maintained his status as the world's number one. However, what captivates the audience is not only his remarkable performance but also his bold and distinctive persona, as well as the iconic bursts of excitement he displays on stage.

However, Littler displays great composure both on and off the darts stage. During an interview with Sky Sports at the World Championship, he mentioned that this is a trait he has possessed since his childhood days in Warrington.

Littler, who will be facing Humphries once again in the Premier League this Thursday in a rematch of their Alexandra Palace final, is actually just an ordinary teen who possesses an exceptional skill in playing darts.

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"In December of 2023, he mentioned receiving some Xbox accessories such as a controller and gift cards for Christmas. He also proudly shared that he was given two tickets for the Manchester United stadium tour which he plans to attend after the Worlds tournament."

For the time being, it seems like Van Gerwen and the other leading darts players are relishing the competition that Littler brings. This has elevated the PDC Tour to a new level, and Littler is letting his skills on the dart board do the talking.

The competition won't resemble the Van Gerwen vs. Taylor match in which there was some tension between players. On the other hand, Littler's participation will elevate the skills of all other players, and the current level of quality is already exceptional.

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"Expect More Matches From Littler And Van Gerwen"

It's great news that the Premier League Darts tournament is almost here, and we're going to witness the exciting feud between Littler and Van Gerwen flourish.

If Littler manages to defeat Humphries and Van Gerwen overcomes Michael Smith during their first matches on Night 1, they will face each other in the semi-finals.

For the next 17 Thursday nights, you can catch all of the Premier League darts live on Sky Sports. It's set to be an amazing showcase of talent, with top players like Van Gerwen, Smith, Aspinall, Humphries, Gerwyn Price, Rob Cross, Peter Wright, and Littler all taking part. Don't miss out on some incredible games!

The current state of the sports world is quite fascinating.

Sky Sports is bringing back Premier League Darts starting from Thursday, February 1. The first match will be played in Cardiff and the excitement will continue for 17 weeks up until the Play-Offs on Thursday, May 23. You can enjoy watching darts and other sports on Sky Sports without signing up for a contract, by using NOW.