Has Luke Humphries timed his run to the Premier League Darts Play-Offs to perfection?
That was the topic of debate after ‘Cool Hand’ booked his ticket to Finals Night at London’s O2 with a first 2026 nightly win at the 15th attempt in Birmingham.
The defending champion reeled off three successive ton-plus averages as he beat Stephen Bunting, Luke Littler and Gerwyn Price to make Finals Night with a week to spare.
Humphries’ victory has sewn up the top four ahead of next week’s final league round in Sheffield
It capped a remarkable turnaround for Humphries, whose hopes of reaching the tournament’s finale appeared dead and buried just five weeks ago – after a Night 10 defeat in Brighton left him languishing seventh in the eight-player table on 10 points.
Humphries admitted that he was left needing “a miracle” and he has delivered when it matters the most – to avoid the hurt of failing to see his title defence through.
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Humphries said he was ‘incredibly proud’ after sealing the final Play-Off spot
“It’s relief. You see from the way I felt at the end,” Humphries told Sky Sports. “It’s been a struggle this year.
“I’ve worked incredibly hard, changed to my old points, my old flights, and it worked for me.
“We’ve all been through those stages, it shows true grit from that position I was in. To get through takes some determination and I’m proud of that.
“I’m just incredibly proud of myself, probably the most proud I’ve ever been in my life. The last three weeks there’s been a lot of pressure on my shoulders.
“When you’re five points from the top four you kind of think, ‘Well you need a miracle here’. I’m really happy I can go back to the O2 and at least give it a chance.
“I’m really proud because it would have hurt me had I not defended the title at The O2.”
Humphries was staring at a semi-final defeat to his arch-rival as Littler had two darts at his favourite double 10 to go 4-0 up in the race to six.
But he surprisingly missed and that proved decisive as Humphries rattled off six legs in a row to stun Littler, who was aiming to win a record seventh night of the campaign.
The 31-year-old then followed it up with a 6-4 victory over Price to earn a first weekly win and seal his spot in London.
Has ‘untouchable’ Humphries timed PL run to perfection?
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Humphries won six legs on the spin to beat Luke Littler
Wayne Mardle was in awe of not only Humphries’ performance on the night but his composure to resurrect his Premier League defence from the brink of elimination.
“The way Humphries played getting through to the final was kind of untouchable,” Mardle said.
“The scoring against Littler and Bunting… it’s not just the one treble visit, it’s the twos and threes that get the better of any opponent even if they are playing well.
“He’s held it together, three finals in three weeks, winning this one tonight, it deals with anything next week so there are no negatives at all.
“You need to time your run to perfection, and he may be doing that. I mean, who is playing better at the moment?”
What’s happening on Premier League Night 16 in Sheffield
The 2026 BetMGM Premier League season culminates at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield, with table positions still at stake to determine the play-off semi-final matchups.
The top four for Finals Night have been confirmed, with group‑stage winner Luke Littler, Jonny Clayton, Gerwyn Price and Luke Humphries set to compete for the title at the O2 Arena on May 28.
All that remains to be decided is whether Price or Humphries will secure third spot and, potentially crucially, avoid a semi-final showdown with Littler in the play-offs.
Price faces Gian van Veen, while Humphries takes on Michael van Gerwen. Littler meets Josh Rock, and Clayton goes up against Stephen Bunting.
Who will win this year’s Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries will be defending his title and you can watch the action every single Thursday until May on Sky Sports. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.
