After little-known Belgian Mike De Decker produced the performance of his life to claim the World Grand Prix title in Leicester on Sunday, is he now a shoo-in for next year’s Premier League?
Belgian De Decker held off a fightback from defending champion Luke Humphries to win an epic final 6-4 and claim his first major title.
De Decker, who was 36th in the PDC Order of Merit before his successful run at the Mattioli Arena, lived up to his ‘Real Deal’ nickname as he took home the winner’s cheque for £120,000, but De Decker admits he may not be ready for the Premier League after seeing the effect on others.
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“I’m a major champion and I’ll keep doing what I’m doing for the last 18 months and hopefully there’s many more of these trophies coming my way. To be honest, I don’t think I’m ready for the Premier League yet. It’s week after week against the top eight in the world, every single week,” said De Decker.
“I’ve seen it with Kim [Huybrechts], I’ve seen it with Dimitri [Van den Bergh] and Jelle [Klaasen], who is a good friend. I don’t know, but if they put me in I’ll say yes a hundred per cent, but if they don’t put me in, then fine. Maybe next year, or the year after. It’s not up to me.”
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The sport’s top stars – including reigning champion Luke Littler and world No 1 Humphries are guaranteed to take part, while De Decker’s fellow Belgian Van den Bergh – winner of the 2024 UK Open – will also be in the mix.
Humphries said: “He’s put himself in the mix for the Premier League and I don’t think they will discount him. It may be a battle between him and Van den Bergh for a spot because they’ve both won a major, but maybe it might be a good time to give Mike a chance.
“You can’t just win one major tournament and expect to be in. Even if he doesn’t win another major or make a final or semi, he just has to show that willingness to play brilliant darts.
“Say he’s in all these tournaments and he wins a couple playing brilliant and then gets edged out, you have just got to show that level and it stays there because if he has a good Worlds I’d put him in to be honest. It’s always nice to give someone else a chance and see how they do. I think he’d relish the chance.
“You can only put him in and see how it goes. Dimitri has had a go. It worked out well for him once but not the other times. I don’t think he’s played his best darts because I think there’s another level in Mike. He’s an incredible scorer.
“He’s got to keep proving it like I had to and I did. Even if he doesn’t win any of the next four tournaments, I still think he might have a great shout.”
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The new Premier League season kicks off in Belfast on Thursday, February 6, live on Sky Sports as darts’ biggest party returns to an unchanged line-up of 17 venues across the UK and Europe all the way until May’s season-ending Play-Offs at London’s O2.
2025 BetMGM Premier League dates
Night 1 – The SSE Arena, Belfast – February 6
Night 2 – OVO Hydro, Glasgow – February 13
Night 3 – 3Arena, Dublin – February 20
Night 4 – Westpoint Exeter – February 27
Night 5 – The Brighton Centre – March 6
Night 6 – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham – March 13
Night 7 – Utilita Arena, Cardiff – March 20
Night 8 – Utilita Arena, Newcastle – March 27
Night 9 – Uber Arena, Berlin – April 3
Night 10 – AO Arena, Manchester – April 10
Night 11 – Rotterdam Ahoy, Rotterdam – April 17
Night 12 – M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool – April 24
Night 13 – Utilita Arena, Birmingham, May 1
Night 14 – First Direct Arena, Leeds – May 8
Night 15 – P&J Live, Aberdeen – May 15
Night 16 – Utilita Arena, Sheffield – May 22
Play-Offs – The O2, London – May 29
What live darts is next on Sky Sports?
Live darts returns to Sky Sports with the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton from November 9-17 as Luke Humphries looks to defend his title.
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Attention then switches to the turn of the year and the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship, beginning on December 15, as the darts calendar continues to provide excitement throughout the year – and you can enjoy the very best here live on Sky Sports.
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