Michael van Gerwen and Beau Greaves headline the field for Players Championship 32 in Den Bosch on Thursday afternoon, with the race for places at the Players Championship Finals in Minehead entering a crucial stage. Play begins at 12:00 GMT, with £15,000 awaiting the winner.
Van Gerwen opens his campaign against Germany's Dominik Grüllich, looking to improve on Wednesday's showing after suffering a 6-2 defeat to Kevin Doets in the last 16 of Players Championship 31. Greaves, meanwhile, faces Adam Warner after reaching the semi-finals on Wednesday, where eventual champion Charlie Manby ended her run with a 7-5 victory. Manby returns against Adam Lipscombe after claiming his maiden PDC ranking title with an emphatic 8-2 victory over Maik Kuivenhoven. The 21-year-old's breakthrough also secured a Grand Slam of Darts debut, while Kuivenhoven begins Thursday's tournament against Dennie Olde Kalter.
Only the top 64 players on the Players Championship Order of Merit qualify for the season-ending Finals, leaving several established names facing a potentially costly absence from Minehead. Peter Wright finds himself down in 89th position following another opening-round defeat on Wednesday, this time against Stephen Burton. With £21,750 accumulated across the season, the two-time world champion trails the current qualification cut-off by £8,000. He faces Ryan Meikle on Thursday. Raymond van Barneveld is similarly struggling in 82nd place with £24,500, having also suffered an early exit at PC31. The five-time world champion begins his latest attempt to close the gap against France's Thibault Tricole.
Michael Smith is in a considerably stronger position, although he is far from secure. The former world champion sits 59th with £31,750, just £2,000 clear of the provisional cut-off, and opens against Jeffrey de Zwaan. Mike De Decker, meanwhile, strengthened his position with a quarter-final appearance on Wednesday and begins PC32 against Marvin van Velzen. Gary Anderson is hanging on to the final provisional qualifying position in 64th, with just £250 separating him from Bradley Brooks immediately below. The Scot is absent from the Den Bosch double-header, leaving those around him in the rankings with another opportunity to move ahead. Nathan Aspinall and Luke Littler are among the other prominent names currently outside the top 64, although neither is competing on Thursday. Aspinall sits 77th, while Littler is down in 127th after making only limited appearances on the floor circuit this season.
Elsewhere in the draw, Players Championship Order of Merit leader Wessel Nijman begins against Madars Razma, while Danny Noppert faces Cam Crabtree and James Wade takes on Darius Labanauskas. Chris Dobey meets Marvin Kraft, and Dirk van Duijvenbode opens against Ricky Evans. Following Thursday's tournament, only Players Championships 33 and 34 in Leicester on 4 and 5 November will remain before the qualifying field for the Players Championship Finals is confirmed.
