Luke Littler handed darts ban starting this weekend at PDC Development Tour

Luke Littler, the young darts star, is not allowed to defend his title starting from this weekend. He won't be able to participate in the opening tournament of the PDC Development Tour 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.

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 said this week that Luke Littler could beat Phil Taylor's records. Taylor won 16 world titles and had 85 tournament wins before he retired. But Littler said: "I don't think anyone's beating that record. It's just crazy, crazy to think of me being bigger than Phil."

"I just love playing in front of a crowd. I enjoy trying my best to put on a performance and I know I can play against the best. I've broken into the top 32, so hopefully I'm