Luke Littler ban kicks in as darts sensation unable to defend title

Luke Littler, the young darts star, is not allowed to defend his PDC Development Tour title. This is because his recent achievements have disqualified him from the event. The series is for players aged 16-23 and leads up to the PDC World Youth Championship, which Littler won last year.

The series that helped kick-start Littler's professional career began on Friday. His win at the 2023 World Youth Championship got him a place in the World Darts Championship. There, he surprised everyone by making it to the final at Ally Pally.

Littler's victory at the Bahrain Masters is one of many great results. In the final, he beat Michael van Gerwen with a nine-darter. These wins put him 30th in the PDC Order of Merit rankings. But, the Development Tour doesn't let players ranked in the top 32 enter. So, the 17-year-old can't compete in the series that led him to the World Darts Championship.

READ MORE: Luke Littler speaks out on 'cheating' claims during lockdown darts competitions

READ MORE: Manchester United fan Luke Littler drops retirement hint as he eyes up 10-year career

However, he can still enter the World Youth Championship at the end of the season.

Littler's exclusion won't bother the young star much. He's focused on his Premier League campaign. On Thursday, the teenager and his rivals will travel to Exeter. There, he'll aim to win his first Premier League tournament.

World No. 3 Michael Smith hinted earlier this week that young Luke Littler possesses the potential to surpass Phil Taylor's records. Phil won 16 world titles - eight of them were straight wins - and had an impressive total of 85 tournament victories before he retired. Littler responded humbly to these comments, saying: "I don't think anyone's beating that