The 2024 darts season has been full of surprises with major tournament wins being split between six different players.
This unpredictability of the tour has left the Premier League and Sky with a conundrum with so many major winners from outside the top of the rankings.
Matt Edgar has picked his shortlist for the competition and has snubbed several high-profile names and big tournament winners.
Matt Edgar snubs Stephen Bunting and Ritchie Edhouse for Premier League
On his Edgar TV YouTube channel, Edgar opted for Michael van Gerwen, Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Rob Cross, Dave Chisnall, Gerwyn Price, Mike De Decker, and Michael Smith for the Premier League.
This means Masters winner Stephen Bunting and European Champion Ritchie Edhouse would both miss out on selection, as well as Jonny Clayton, Nathan Aspinall, and Damon Heta.
The Premier League will begin in February at the SSE Arena in Belfast and end at The O2 Arena in London on May 29.
Darts unpredictability could spell danger for the Premier League
The PDC and Premier League have a tricky decision to make when opting for next year’s competitors due to the amount of different major winners.
The PDC set a precedent last year by inviting eventual winner Littler into the competition after his final appearance at the World Championship.
De Decker, Edhouse, and Bunting have all staked a claim for an invitation, while Humphries, Littler, and Michael van Gerwen have essentially already booked their place.
Unless the field is widened to 10 or 12 competitors, there’s going to be a lot of top darts players who miss the cut.