Sky Sports analyst Wayne Mardle has declared Luke Humphries the clear favorite to successfully defend his Premier League Darts title, citing the world number two's rediscovered peak form at exactly the right time. Humphries won last year's final 11-8 against Luke Littler, but endured a difficult campaign for much of this season, even sitting outside the playoff spots for a large part of the year. However, he turned things around dramatically in the closing stages, reaching the final in each of the last four league weeks and winning the penultimate night in Birmingham. On the final night in Sheffield, Humphries secured third place in the standings, meaning he will face Jonny Clayton in the semi-finals on Finals Night in London, while table-topper Littler takes on Gerwyn Price.
Mardle was particularly impressed by Humphries' semi-final victory over Littler in Sheffield, where he convincingly beat 'The Nuke' 6-1 after reeling off six consecutive legs for the second week running. 'I do not have a clue [who will win] but I will go with Humphries on recency bias,' Mardle told Sky Sports. 'I love the way he is going about his business and he was good in defeat [in Sheffield]. There was a bit of head shaking but he was good.' The former top darter highlighted Humphries' mental resilience: 'The way Luke has dealt with the last four weeks has been incredible. It would have been easy to fold but he has shown he is an absolute champion.'
Earlier this month, Mardle praised Humphries' scoring power, calling him 'one of the best scorers on the planet and one of the best I have seen in a while.' He noted how efficient Humphries has become with his scoring chances: 'When he gets it right, his two and three-treble visits are better than anyone's - and I include Littler in that. He can fit a dart in there when it has no right to go in. Tons alone are not the way forward anymore. With Humphries' trebles, he gives himself so many looks at a double.'
Despite backing Humphries, Mardle warned against underestimating Jonny Clayton, who won four league nights this season and finished second overall in his first Premier League appearance since 2023. 'Clayton is going under the radar. It's been "oh, Humphries and Price will want to play him instead of Luke Littler",' Mardle said. 'But Clayton could run riot next week as he has run riot so many times this year. If he does it again on another Thursday, he wins it.' Mardle noted that Clayton started the season as a complete outsider: 'Clayton was the outsider of the field, meant to finish bottom. He will be the outsider next week but he will have his tail up and won't want to be written off. He won't be written off as he is that good.'
Mardle also reflected on the shifting balance of power throughout the season: 'Clayton was the man this season, then Littler was the man, now Humphries is the man, the one playing so well, the man to beat.'
