Wayne Mardle Names One ‘Really Unlucky’ Player to Miss Out

Anticipation for the 2026 Premier League Darts has grown with the reveal of the prestigious tournament’s line-up. However, there’s one omission from the competition that already has Wayne Mardle questioning the PDC’s wildcard choices.

The PDC Premier League Darts tournament is one of the biggest events on the professional darts calendar, proving a highly lucrative opportunity for every player involved. The overall winner nets a cool £350,000, with the chance to win a £10,000 bonus each week during the 16-week league phase. And for whoever finishes plumb last, they’ll still be consoled by their £80,000 winnings.

So, as Mardle reacted to the list of competitors, it’s no surprise that he was drawn to one inclusion and one snub in particular. The top four players on the PDC Order of Merit — Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen, and Michael van Gerwen — qualified automatically. This left four wildcard selections to be made by the PDC, which were revealed last night on Sky Sports.

Premier League Darts 2026 Wildcard Choices

Three of last year’s line-up failed to make the grade, with Van Veen, 2021 winner Jonny Clayton, and Josh Rock pushing Rob Cross, Chris Dobey, and Nathan Aspinall out in 2026. The two wildcards that did retain their places, however, were 2023 runner-up Gerwyn Price and, to Mardle’s surprise, and everyone’s surprise it would seem, Stephen Bunting.

“I think that’s a fortunate pick for Stephen. We know he was world no. 4 going into the Worlds, now he’s out of it. It would have been a tough pill for him to swallow if he was left out,” said Mardle on Sky Sports.

“But, again, I think he will be the one that will breathe a sigh of relief because he didn’t play poorly last year, it just took him eight weeks to get a win. Over the short format, you’d have thought that no-one would lose eight games on the bounce. He did, and he didn’t get out of last position.”

Bunting’s performance in last year’s tournament was disappointing, slumping to a last-place finish. The result equals his last-place finish in the Premier League Darts in 2015 — the last and only previous time he was selected for the tournament. Bunting’s poor performances in the tournament led Mardle to question the snubbing of one player in particular.

Wayne Mardle’s Shock at One Exclusion

“I think Danny Noppert’s been really unlucky,” started Mardle. “He’s reached the semi-finals of four Majors, four big TV events.

“But Stephen hasn’t done that this year. And with the performances of last year, I thought that would’ve gone against him rather than for him. But he’s got a massive following, the people’s champion.”

Those who have been selected, Bunting included, will be hoping to break the stronghold of the two Lukes when the tournament gets underway on the 5th of February at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena.

Humphries defeated Littler last time out in the final, with those roles reversed in 2024. As for Michael van Gerwen, he will be hoping to add to his record-setting seven titles at the tournament.