By Aiden Boyer
The Bahrain Darts Masters, the first event of the 2026 PDC calendar, is complete with Michal van Gerwen taking home the palm tree trophy, but what did we learn from the event?
1 – Michael van Gerwen is back
Mighty Mike returned to winning ways in Bahrain, beating Gian van Veen in the final. The Dutchman saved his best performance for the final, averaging 100.91, but in each match, van Gerwen looked strong, keeping his average in the mid-90s and, for the most part, looked good on the doubles.
Now there is no need to blow this tournament win out of proportion, it is just one event, but MVG looked much better here compared to his performances in 2025 and if he can keep this up, 2026 could be the year of the Green Machine.
2 – Gian van Veen, the bridesmaid once again
Friday’s final loss means it is two runner-up medals in two tournaments for Gian van Veen. The world number three has been in the form of his life, and once again put in some impressive performances on the big stage, including a standout quarter-final against Danny Noppert where van Veen averaged 104.31 in a 6-1 win.
Despite this, the Giant was once again unable to get over the line in a final, and he will be hoping this trend does not continue in future events.
3 – Is Gerwyn Price the kryptonite to Luke Littler?
Luke Littler may have won 12 of the 19 matches he has played against Gerwyn Price, but he could not stop the Welshman in Bahrain for a second year in a row, as Price won their quarter-final clash 6-2.
Post-match, a lot of people have claimed that the Iceman is the one player Luke Littler struggles against, but out of those 12 matches Littler has won against Price, most of those came in 2025, including wins at the Players Championship Finals and the World Grand Prix.
However, we know Gerwyn Price is a confidence player, and it will be no surprise if he takes the confidence from this victory into the next time these two meet, most likely in the early rounds of the Premier League.
4 – The Bahraini players are slowly improving
MAHMOOD ON THE BOARD!
Basem Mahmood gets a leg on the board in his third appearance at this tournament.
He's deserved that 🙌
📺 https://t.co/XzyoZs6rU3#BahrainDarts | R1 pic.twitter.com/kkTUn1Cvnq
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) January 15, 2026
When the PDC first came to Bahrain, one of the talking points was the standard of the Bahraini players taking part. In the first few years, we saw averages on the lower end of 60, but this seems to be slowly changing.
This year, both Basem Mahmood and Abdulla Saeed averaged 74, an average that is slightly below the bottom end of averages we have seen at the World Championship, but certainly not embarrassing, particularly for players from a nation that are still growing in the world of darts.
More and more Bahraini players are attending qualifying, and the more these events take place in the country, the more the ability of those players will grow, as the PDC looks to expand the sport globally.
5 – Paul Lim is not done yet
The legend that is Paul Lim took part in the Bahrain Darts Masters once again, and despite losing 6-1, albeit to world champion Luke Littler, he averaged 87.50 and proved that he is not going anywhere for the foreseeable future.
Lim is a legend in the world of darts, and he continues to do great work as part of the Asian Tour, with the tour continuing to grow and improve, as events like this one are showing.