By Luca Jarman
Many big names have fallen, whilst young starlets have made an impact. After the World Championship and the announcement of the Premier League lineup, here is how some of the most well-known faces in darts have fared over the past campaign, graded.
Luke Littler – A+
There haven’t been many better years in darts. He dominated the majors winning all but three. One of those rare blips was losing the Premier League final to Luke Humphries, but The Nuke was far and away the best player throughout the competition, winning six nights out of 16.
Before winning the 2025 World Championship, Littler had only won one major, but the young dartist has matured into a player who is dominating. He is far and away the best in the world, there is no other way to put it.
Luke Humphries – C-
It feels harsh for the World No.2, but Humphries has lost his grip on world darts. He has performed well throughout competitions but often fallen at the last hurdle, losing his last three finals in the Grand Prix, Grand Slam and European Championship. His success must be assessed on his battle cry after that European Championship final, pledging to win the World Championship.
He lost out in the Quarter finals to eventual runner up Van Veen, a player who is fast becoming a close rival. Positives have littered Humphries’ year as he picked up the World Masters and nabbed the Premier League to complete his triple crown. A massive achievement that only four others have reached. But overall, it was a year of maybes for the Englishman.
Gian van Veen – A
A hugely encouraging year for the young Dutchman. He has been long tipped to become one of darts greatest forces, and towards the end of year he has begun to assume this role. Only two players have stolen majors amidst Littler’s dominance, van Veen being one of them, picking up his maiden major title in October’s European Championship. Whilst he may be disappointed with his loss in the World Championship final, there is no feeling he should inhibit but pride in his performances.
Michael van Gerwen – F
A gratingly poor year for the darting legend. The salt in his wounds is losing his title as the Dutch No.1, a place he has held for over 13 years. He didn’t reach finals night in the Premier League and didn’t make it past the round of 16 in the World Championships for the first time in a decade.
A rare saving grace in the Green Machines year was his win in the World Series Final. He will have hoped he would kick on after reaching last year’s World Championship final, but it never happened for van Gerwen in 2025.
Josh Rock – B+
Josh Rock has stepped up in a big way. He stormed onto the scene years ago and is now truly making a splash. His win alongside Daryl Gurney for Northern Ireland in the World Cup stands out as his biggest achievement of the year.
As well as this, strong, consistent performances across both floor and TV events ensured Rocky a place in the next Premier League, a decision that feels really deserved. He’s a player who could beat anyone on his day and will be wildly entertaining across the UK and Europe every Thursday in the campaign.
Stephen Bunting – D
Bunting had been set up for a massive 2025 but has disappointed overall. He finished in last place in the Premier League where he required nine weeks to pick up a single win and failed to make any final appearances in ranking majors.
The Bullet won two European tour and two Players Championship events, but this is far from the big stage wins fans may have been expecting. He will count himself lucky to have made the cut for 2026’s Premier League.
Jonny Clayton – B
The Welshmen is well known for his resilience and 2025 has been a mini comeback for Clayton. He lost out in the final of the World Masters to Luke Humphries and made the semi-finals of the Matchplay and Grand Prix. It hasn’t been a flashy year of titles and glory, but Clayton has shown the consistency and relentlessness to earn his return to the Premier League lineup.
Rob Cross – E
Cross has had a dismal year. He has fallen from being raked 4th in the world rankings, to 20th, not a graceful fall. The Voltage has failed to make it past the second round of any ranking major in 2025, bar the UK open and was one of only two players not to win a night of the Premier League. He did not challenge for anything.
The future could be brighter for the former World Champion however, as his performances in the 2026 World Championships were encouraging, he was just unfortunate that he met Luke Littler in the round of 16. Perhaps he will spur on and begin a great climb up the rankings again.
Danny Noppert – B+
Noppert has been up there throughout the year. He has established himself as a real challenger for any title. The Dutchmen reached an impressive four semi-finals of ranked majors but could not go further. He is brilliant, reliable player, but in 2026 must develop that cutting edge and game winning quality to get his hands on a title.
James Wade – B
The Machine is a mainstay in darts and has been around the block, so it could be easy for years to pass him by. But this must be considered his best campaign for some time. He rolled back the years in the UK Open and the Matchplay reaching the final of both, only to be beaten twice by Luke Littler twice.
To reach a final in such a competitive darting field is impressive and it would be unfair to discredit Wade for losing out to the seemingly unbeatable World No.1. The legend would surely have been on the list as a potential Premier League entrant.