Can Defending Champion Humphries Recover to Make the Premier League Top Four?

The current Premier League champion, Luke Humphries, is in danger of missing out on a top-four spot and a place in the Play-Offs at London's O2 on May 28. After 10 weeks, Humphries is seventh in the table with 11 points and is still searching for his first nightly victory. Last week, he suffered a narrow 6-5 defeat to leader Jonny Clayton in Brighton, with Clayton finishing with a bullseye to win a last-leg decider. Humphries then exited the Player Championship 9 in Wigan at the last-16 stage, as Chris Dobey won his second title of 2026. Things will not get easier for the world No 2, as he faces home favourite Gian van Veen in Rotterdam on Thursday. With Humphries looking to build momentum and push towards the Play-Off places, Michael Bridge and Chris Murphy discussed his chances on the Love The Darts podcast. "Luke isn't dominating like he used to," said Bridge. "He's getting his life back together because he's attending the Grand National and Cheltenham, so I don't think things are affecting him as much as they used to. He'll try to go on a run now, but I don't think he'll be devastated if he doesn't make the top four. Not like it would have a couple of years ago." After Rotterdam, Humphries has six more nights to gain enough points to reach the Play-Off spots. Michael van Gerwen currently occupies fourth spot on 16 points - five points ahead of Humphries. "I don't know what the problem is, but something seems slightly off, yet out of all the players currently outside the Play-Offs, I think he's the one who could win back-to-back nights and catapult himself into those places," said Murphy. "I don't think it's time to panic yet, but he is running out of time and does need to get that nightly win. It's not just about winning matches for him; he needs to win nights to get through." Humphries remains unconcerned about his title defence, claiming he doesn't 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. But maybe my timing has been off, and people are playing better against me. That's just what happens in sport. Sometimes you can be playing really well and are just not getting the rewards." 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, while Michael van Gerwen faces Jonny Clayton. Luke Littler takes on Gerwyn Price in a crucial battle near the top of the table, and Stephen Bunting faces Josh Rock as he aims to make further inroads towards the Play-Offs.