Can Defending Champion Humphries Overcome Struggles to Reach the Top Four?

As the current Premier League champion, Luke Humphries is facing a challenging season, and his chances of making the top four are uncertain. With only a few nights left to gain enough points, Humphries must overcome his struggles and find his form to defend his title. He currently sits seventh in the Premier League table with 11 points, still searching for his first nightly victory. After a 6-5 defeat to leader Jonny Clayton in Brighton, Humphries suffered a last-16 exit at the Player Championship 9 in Wigan. His upcoming match against home favourite Gian van Veen in Rotterdam will be crucial in determining his chances of reaching the Play-Offs. Commentators Michael Bridge and Chris Murphy discussed Humphries' chances, with Bridge stating that Humphries is not as invested in winning as he used to be. "Luke isn't running away with things anymore," said Bridge. "He's getting his life back a bit because he's going to Aintree and Cheltenham, so I don't think things are getting to him like they used to." With six more nights to gain enough points, Humphries must go on a run to reach the top four. Seven-time winner Michael van Gerwen currently occupies fourth spot on 16 points, five points ahead of Humphries. Commentator Murphy believes that Humphries has the potential to win back-to-back nights and catapult himself into the Play-Off spots. "I don't know what the problem is because something does seem slightly off, but out of all the players that are out of the Play-Offs at the moment I would say he's the one who could go on and win back-to-back nights and catapult himself into those places," said Murphy. Humphries remains unconcerned about his title defence, claiming he "doesn't really feel the pressure of defending". "You're not thinking about it every week you're playing in it," said the 31-year-old. "I think my average this year in the Premier League has been the best it has ever been. It was better than 2024 at this moment in time and better than 2025." The BetMGM Premier League moves to Rotterdam, where Dutch No 1 Gian van Veen will host Luke Humphries on his first Premier League night on home soil. Who will win this year's Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries will be defending his title, and the action can be watched every Thursday until May on Sky Sports.