By Brad Williams
The Premier League of Darts is right around the corner, so let’s get to know the class of 2026.
Stephen Bunting has emerged as one of the sport’s most popular figures in recent years. His light-hearted demeanour, coupled with his ferocious scoring power on the oche, and his now-iconic walkout song of Titanium by David Guetta and Sia, has led to him being coined ‘The People’s Champion’ by many within the sport.
His loyal support can be seen by the ‘Let’s Go Bunting Mental’ movement, which has made waves all over social media and inside darting venues across the country.
The 40-year-old from Liverpool has been a PDC Tour Card holder since 2014, where he has notable success, especially in recent years, winning seven ranked Pro Tour titles and three non-ranking titles.
Bunting won his maiden televised major title in February of 2024, a decade after first joining the tour, when he defeated Michael van Gerwen at the Masters by a score of 11-7 in legs. Before life in the PDC, Bunting won the BDO World Championship in 2014.
He has carried the nickname “The Bullet” for many years due to his rapid-fire throwing style. This is aided by the fact that he boasts some of the lightest darts in the game at just 18 grams, which are heavy when compared to the 12-gram darts Bunting became famous for using most of his career until 2023.
Away from the oche, Bunting is an avid supporter of Liverpool F.C and often enjoys playing video games and posting comedic videos on social media, a massive attribution to his rise in becoming such a fan-favourite. He also loves a bit of karaoke, with his go-to song being ‘Gold’ by Spandau Ballet, which he even serenaded fans with during his appearance on darting TV show Bullseye.
Bunting will make his third Premier League appearance after previously finishing 8th in 2015 and 2025.