Darts Premier League
Premier League Darts preview: MVG back in the saddle
The Premier League returns this Thursday, with the action taking place in Nottingham for Night 6. Michael van Gerwen currently tops the table and comes into this having won the previous two events. He’ll be looking to assert his dominance once more and win his third consecutive Premier League Night.
In this blog, we take a look at who is in contention to win Premier League Night 6.
Might Mike feeling mighty once more
Where else to start but with the Green Machine? MVG has a bit of swagger about him again! He’s still not back to his very best, which is a scary thought in itself, but has found out how to win again. He looked sensational when only dropping three legs to win the Night 4 title, and then backed that up with success on Night 5. He then went on to register his 33rd Euro Tour success last weekend when winning the German Darts Championship – his first Euro Tour title since 2019.
He could reel off three Premier League Nights on the spin here, as his first game is against an injured Gerwyn Price. The Iceman had to pull out of last week’s event due to his injury and has stated that he is still not 100 percent. He’s currently priced as the 10/3 second-favourite, but it’s hard to say how he’ll perform while carrying this knock.
If MVG was to get through Price, he’d face either Michael Smith or James Wade in the semis, both of whom he beat during last week’s Premier League success. He’s the current favourite to win Night 6 at 3/1.
Snakebite looking to bite back
Peter Wright (7/2) has enjoyed a solid Premier League campaign so far, winning the opener and sitting second in the table. The world number one kicks off Night 6 against Joe Cullen, who was squashed by MVG in last week’s semi-final. Cullen has made a run to one final in this year’s Premier League but has struggled to win his opening games during the other nights. However, Wright had to withdraw from last weekend’s German Darts Championship, so he could still be hindered by that.
If Snakebite wins, he’ll go on to either face Jonny Clayton or Gary Anderson. Anderson is another that has struggled to make his mark on this year’s tournament, sitting at the bottom of the table with only one win to his name. Clayton, on the other hand, sits in third place on the same number of points as Wright. He too has had Premier League success this year, reaching the final on two separate occasions and winning one of them. A dangerous player if at the top of his game, The Ferret is another one who will be in the mix this Thursday (5/1).
Smith to continue recent consistency
Michael Smith (6/1) narrowly missed out on his first Premier League night win on Night 5. Averaging over 100 in defeat, Smith displayed some typically effortless arrows and continued his strong form into the weekend’s German Darts Championship. He reached the quarter-finals before being knocked out by crowd favourite Dimitri van den Bergh.
He’ll be hoping to continue that forward momentum this Thursday and faces James Wade in his opener.
