The Premier League caravan pulls into Leeds’ First Direct Arena on April seventeen and a near‑capacity crowd is bracing for a night that could redraw the leaderboard. Headline billing belongs to an explosive quarter‑final between Luke Littler and Gerwyn Price, a rematch of February’s Belfast final where Littler prevailed with back‑to‑back ton‑plus checkouts.
Price has spent the intervening weeks fine‑tuning equipment—slightly shorter stems to accelerate dart turnover—and arrives off the back of a ProTour title in Barnsley that included victories over Michael Smith and Peter Wright. He trails table‑topper Littler by six points; a nightly trophy would halve that gap and heap pressure on the teenager with just three venues left.
Michael van Gerwen, third in the standings, begins his evening against local favourite Joe Cullen, who replaces the injured Chris Dobey as a guest challenger. Cullen stunned MVG in a deciding leg here in 2022 and the Dutchman has not forgotten; he spent Tuesday’s media day reminding press that revenge is a dish best served noisy.
Luke Humphries, sitting second, tackles Nathan Aspinall knowing that wins in Leeds and then Glasgow would virtually secure his O2 ticket. Humphries leads the field in three‑dart average at one hundred and two point eight, yet remains without a nightly crown since Night Four—an anomaly he is determined to correct.
Leeds crowds are famed for decibel‑busting sing‑alongs and bookmakers anticipate the highest 180 count of the tour so far, with Littler, Humphries and MVG all inside the season’s top five for maximums. Add Price’s trademark roar and Cullen’s home‑town swagger, and Night Twelve looks set to super‑charge an already simmering title race.
