Luke Littler responds after Michael van Gerwen jibe as Premier League Darts returns

Luke Littler says he's now "fair game" for any competitive banter his rivals might throw at him in the darts circuit.

Reflecting on his experience since becoming a world champion, Littler, 18, expressed some irritation at opponents who elevate their performance to defeat him and then underperform in subsequent rounds: "That does annoy me."

As he prepares to defend his BetMGM Premier League title, which he won on his first appearance last season, he faces an immediate repeat of his World Championship final against Michael van Gerwen.

Additionally, Littler faced criticism from MvG himself for arriving late to the players' media day, with van Gerwen pointing out that the PDC should stop coddling him, stating: "How late was he - 45 minutes? They [the PDC] need to stop treating him like a baby - he's not a baby any more, he's 18-years-old.

"He has to learn, it's a professional sport so you have to be responsible for your actions. If he turns up late for an interview, I don't care - but there were seven other people waiting for him. That's not very nice, is it?"

Although Littler admitted to oversleeping for 25 minutes, he did take van Gerwen's comments lightly, sharing a laugh about being called lazy.

Despite not revisiting the entire final, Littler stated he watched the winning moment and understands that MVG will be hungry for victory but, as the reigning champ, he is equally ready for the challenge ahead.

Over the next 17 weeks, the Thursday night darts extravaganza will take Littler across seven different countries, and he'll need more than an unscheduled power nap to tackle the challenges ahead. Despite averaging over 100 in all three of his competitive losses in 2025, Littler has been left wondering how victory eluded