"Time is running out" for Luke Humphries, according to Your Site' Wayne Mardle, as the defending Premier League Darts champion sits outside of the top-four play-off spots with just four regular weeks remaining.
Humphries is still without a nightly win in 2026 and suffered a convincing 6-2 quarter-final defeat to Luke Littler on Night 12 in Liverpool to remain stuck on 13 points, slipping back into sixth spot in the table as a result.
Gian van Veen leapfrogged the world No 2 with the two points from his quarter-final win over Gerwyn Price, while Michael van Gerwen increased the gap to Humphries in fourth spot to five points as he too reached the semi-finals.
It means that Humphries would need a nightly win, and for Van Gerwen to go pointless, just to draw level with the Dutchman. And he'll likely need more than that...
"There's four weeks left now, and if he's to have any chance of retaining that title, I think he needs to win a couple of nights," said Your Site' Laura Turner.
The same applies to Van Veen (5th, 14 points) and Stephen Bunting (7th, 11 points), who are currently on the outside looking in as the chasing pack look to claw in the still catchable Van Gerwen (4th, 18 points) and Price (3rd, 19 points).
Humphries faces Van Gerwen on Night 13 in Aberdeen, while Bunting goes up against Price in his quarter-final, giving both a golden opportunity to close the gap, or for their opponents to increase it further.
Technically, the top two can still be caught. Neither Jonny Clayton nor Littler are yet assured of their places at Finals Night, even though it feels a mere formality after another final between between the pair in Liverpool.
Clayton and Littler have shared the last three nightly wins to sit first and second respectively, on 32 and 29 points, while Littler matched the Welshman's four nightly wins for the season as he prevailed in the pair's second-straight final matchup, winning 6-1.
Clayton can confirm his place at the O2 on May 28 with victory in his quarter-final against Van Veen in Aberdeen on Night 13. Even in defeat, he could still clinch his spot, so long as Van Veen doesn't go on to win the night.
The bigger story at the top of the table though is the tussle for top spot between Clayton and Littler, with only three points separating the pair.
"I'm very close to Jonny now. I'm going to go chasing," Littler promised after his thumping final win over 'The Ferret' in Liverpool. "I want to finish top once again. If it's not to be, it's not to be. But there's still four weeks to go."
Josh Rock is still rooted to the foot of the table after his quarter-final exit to Van Gerwen in Liverpool, stuck on eight points and 10 off a play-off spot.
Coming into Night 12, Rock was actually in the midst of a strong run of form. After waiting eight weeks for a maiden Premier League victory, Rock rattled off four quarter-final wins in a row through Night 11 until MVG ended that run.
In form or not, the Northern Irishman has surely left himself too much to do over the final four weeks, as two nightly wins would see him only tie Van Gerwen for fourth - and that's provided MVG doesn't gain a single point, and that the rest of the chasing pack don't make up ground themselves.
Quarter-finals
Josh Rock v Luke Littler
Stephen Bunting v Gerwyn Price
Jonny Clayton v Gian van Veen
Luke Humphries v Michael van Gerwen
Quarter-finals
Gerwyn Price v Jonny Clayton
Luke Littler v Michael van Gerwen
Josh Rock v Luke Humphries
Gian van Veen v Stephen Bunting
Quarter-finals
Josh Rock v Gian van Veen
Gerwyn Price v Michael van Gerwen
Luke Humphries v Stephen Bunting
Jonny Clayton v Luke Littler
Based on league table after Night 15
Quarter-finals
2nd vs 7th
3rd vs 6th
1st vs 8th
4th vs 5th
The season-ending play-offs take place on a bumper night at The O2 in London on Thursday, May 28.
Finals Night is not the best-of-11 legs we see in the regular rounds, with each semi-final contested over 19 legs before a final that is the best-of-21 legs instead.
As part of the PDC's biggest prize money increase in its history, the total prize pot for the 2026 Premier League is £1.25 million, up from £1m the previous year.
Each of the four semi-finalists are guaranteed £110,000, with the runner-up taking home £170,000 and the winner claiming £350,000.
Who will win this year's Premier League Darts? You can watch the action every single Thursday until May on Your Site. .
