Littler Exits Premier League Quarter-Finals in Brighton Amid Boos

World champion Luke Littler suffered a quarter-final exit in the Premier League, losing to Stephen Bunting in Brighton. Littler, who was booed by the crowd, recorded his lowest PDC TV average and failed to hit a single maximum. Former Premier League star Wayne Mardle believes Littler's performance was affected by his spat with Gian van Veen the previous week. Mardle stated, 'I'm assuming tonight was a reaction to last week, although I don't know. Littler looked quite flat, there were points where he was lobbing the darts, not petulantly but not with directness he normally throws.' Bunting, who won the match, expressed sympathy for Littler, saying, 'Thankfully, he is human! It's tough because the crowd was giving him some stick. I like Luke because he's a fantastic lad and I don't like to see that.' Jonny Clayton moved three points ahead of Littler in the table after producing a stunning comeback to beat Michael Van Gerwen in the final.