Premier League Darts 2020 Challengers confirmed
The nine Challengers for the 2020 Premier League Darts have been confirmed, completing the line-up for the prestigious four-month invitational.
Nine of the sport’s box office stars will compete in the 16-week tour of arenas across Europe from February to May, with a different ‘Challenger’ to feature in each of the opening nine weeks.
In a return to last year’s popular format, nine players will compete under the re-branded ‘Challengers’ banner, with John Henderson and Fallon Sherrock already confirmed as guest players for the opening two nights following Barry Hearn’s announcement on New Year’s Day.
Scottish crowd favourite Henderson is set to get the campaign off to a bang at the new P&J Live in Aberdeen, before history-maker Sherrock becomes the first woman to star in the Premier League in Nottingham.
The Premier League roadshow then rolls on to Cardiff and Dublin where Welsh number two Jonny Clayton and Irish World Cup runner-up William O’Connor will make their Premier League debuts respectively.
Reigning World Youth Champion Luke Humphries will feature in Exeter for the second successive year, while Merseysider Stephen Bunting will make his Premier League comeback in Liverpool.
Two-time major semi-finalist Chris Dobey will hope to enjoy another memorable night on home soil in Newcastle, before Dutch duo Jeffrey de Zwaan and Jermaine Wattimena entertain the sea of orange in Rotterdam.
Points won by Challengers will not count towards the league table, however their opponents will retain any points gained from the matches. Challengers will receive financial bonuses for winning or drawing their matches.
Following the opening nine nights of fixtures, the player placed ninth on the Premier League table following Judgement Night in Rotterdam on March 26 will be eliminated from the competition.
The remaining eight players will then battle it out from Nights Ten to 16 in the race to win places in the Play-Offs at The O2 on Thursday May 21, with newly-crowned World Champion Peter Wright and world number one Michael van Gerwen among the regular nine players.
Fans in Belfast and Glasgow will also have the chance to welcome home local heroes in Daryl Gurney, Gary Anderson and Wright, while Gerwyn Price will entertain a passionate Welsh crowd in Cardiff.
Nathan Aspinall and Glen Durrant are the new additions to the Premier League line-up in 2020, while former finalists Rob Cross and Michael Smith are among the returning stars.
The full fixture list for the 2020 Premier League is to be confirmed in due course.
Premier League Darts 2020 line-up
Michael van Gerwen
Peter Wright
Gerwyn Price
Rob Cross
Michael Smith
Gary Anderson
Daryl Gurney
Nathan Aspinall
Glen Durrant
Unibet Premier League 2020 Challengers
John Henderson (Aberdeen, Night One)
Fallon Sherrock (Nottingham, Night Two)
Jonny Clayton (Cardiff, Night Three)
William O’Connor (Dublin, Night Four)
Luke Humphries (Exeter, Night Five)
Stephen Bunting (Liverpool, Night Six)
Chris Dobey (Newcastle, Night Seven)
Jeffrey de Zwaan (Rotterdam, Night Eight)
Jermaine Wattimena (Rotterdam, Night Nine)
Premier League Darts 2020 Dates and Venues
Night One – Thursday February 6
P&J Live, Aberdeen
Night Two – Thursday February 13
Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
Night Three – Thursday February 20
Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff
Night Four – Thursday February 27
3Arena, Dublin
Night Five – Thursday March 5
Westpoint Exeter
Night Six – Thursday March 12
M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool
Night Seven – Thursday March 19
Utilita Arena, Newcastle
Night Eight – Wednesday March 25
Rotterdam Ahoy
Judgment Night – Thursday March 26
Rotterdam Ahoy
Night Ten – Thursday April 2
The SSE Arena, Belfast
Night 11 – Thursday April 9
FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield
Night 12 – Thursday April 16
The Manchester Arena
Night 13 – Thursday April 23
Mercedes-Benz Arena, Berlin
Night 14 – Thursday April 30
Arena Birmingham
Night 15 – Thursday May 7
The SSE Hydro, Glasgow
Night 16 – Thursday May 14
First Direct Arena, Leeds
Play-Offs – Thursday May 21
The O2, London
