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Luke Littler will start the Bahrain Darts Masters against PDC Asia champion Lourence Ilagan as he prepares to make his debut as world champion on Thursday night.
Littler last faced the Filipino in November at the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton and nearly reached the top of his game as the teenager fell just nine darts short , missed the double twelve, but finally won 5-3.
Littler marked his arrival on the global stage last year when he beat Michael van Gerwen with nine darts in the final in Bahrain to clinch his first World Series title.
The teenage star, who lifted the iconic Sid Waddell Trophy by defeating Van Gerwen at Alexandra Palace on January 3, will return to action against the enigmatic Ilagan.
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Little deliberately kept the big fish, but Ilagan had other plans!
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Emma Payton, Mark Webster and Richard Ashdown discuss whether Littler can break Phil Taylor’s record of 16 World Darts Championship titles
World number one Luke Humphries will start his campaign against local qualifier Abdulla Saeed, who crashed out in the last 16 of the World Darts Championship Later, he tried to return to the path of victory.
Humphreys won 6-0 when the two met on the same stage last year and will be hoping to perform well again as he holds his own record in Bahrain.
This week, Stephen Bunting and Chris Dobey will be among the eight representatives of the PDC, with debutants taking on Nitin Kumar and Basum Mahindra respectively. Basem Mahmood.
Defending Masters champion Bunting, who rose to a career-high ranking of fifth in the world after reaching the semi-finals of the World Championships, will face India’s top player Kumar in Bahrain.
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Check out some of the most memorable moments from this year’s World Darts Championship, including Littler’s record-breaking darts, some barryocks and two nine-darters
Meanwhile, fellow Alexandra Palace semi-finalist Dobie will face Bahrain’s Mahmoud in the quarter-finals as he prepares to compete in his first Global Worlds Competition events.
2018 World Champion Rob Cross faces a tough test against Paul Nebrida, who defeated Jim Williams and Ross Smith to reach the third round of the World Championships.
Elsewhere, 2021 World Champion Gerwyn Price will take on Hong Kong’s Lok Yin Lee and 2023 Match Play Champion Nathan Aspinall PDC China Champion Xiaochen Zong.
Peter Wright completes the PDC’s eight-man squad. The two-time world champion will begin his campaign against 2024 PDC Asia Tour money title winner Alexis Toylo.
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Highlights from the World Darts Championship final between Littler and Michael van Gerwen
Littler: If I wanted Taylor’s record, I could break it
Littler has been on a meteoric rise since his sensational World Championship final in January 2024 and claimed the top prize at the second time of asking, taking 10 titles in his debut season on the Pro Tour.
The young star believes he “has what it takes” to break Phil “The Power” Taylor’s impressive record of 16 world titles.
“Deep down, if I wanted to try and break the record, then I was sure I had the ability to do it,” Littler said.
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Littler reflects on his first World Darts Championship victory and shares his desire to break Taylor’s record
“If I want it, I’m sure I can do it. I just have to keep going. The calendar is stacked all year round.
“I said in previous interviews that I would be happy if I won all the major titles in my career, but obviously I want to increase the number of world titles.”
Watch the 2025 Premier League Darts League live on Sky Sports every Thursday from 6 February, or Live with NOW.
