Dave Chisnall has questioned the inclusion of Nathan Aspinall and Gerwyn Price in this year’s BetMGM Premier League squad, suggesting the draft should ” It’s about darts, not your walk-ons”.

After Grand Prix winner Mike De Decker lashed out at his absence from the race – a decision the Belgian called “a bit disgraceful” – world number six Chisner weighed in on the 17-race reveal The eight-contestant line-up of Controversy – The Dating Roadshow, will start live in Belfast on Thursday 6 February sky sports.

Despite his own ranking being higher than three of the four wildcard entrants – Price, Chris Dobie and Aspinall – ‘Chizzy’ said he had no qualms about his omission but admitted he Feelings for Dedecker and world number eight Damon Herta.

Chisnall told reporters: “There are no surprises in this week’s Premier League squad, but if you’re someone like Mike Dedecker or Damon Hertha, you’ve got to be frustrated.” mane.

“Even though I’m ranked sixth in the world, I never thought I’d get the call because I’ve had such a bad season on TV this year, but Mike will probably be disappointed after a great performance at the Grand Prix. Maybe ranked 24th in the world The world was stacked against him, but these young guys were hungry for a chance to shine.

“Damer is another one who I think will feel unlucky, although it would be nice to see Chris Dobie and Steven Bunting get a spot. That seems to be the case without Michael Smith and Peter Wright There’s a changing of the guard and Nathan Aspinall and Gwynne I think Price is a bit lucky to be involved in that this year.”

Explaining why he thinks Aspinall and Price are lucky to get call-ups, Chisnall added: “Gezzy has a lot going on in 2024 and is in trouble, and Nathan has done something similar. matter.

“His run to the quarter-finals of the World Championships probably got him involved, everyone loves him Mr Brightside theme song.

“It’s a great entry but it should be about darts rather than a walk-on role that gets you into these big games. Personally, there’s nothing against them because they’re both great lads and get along great That’s fine, but it should be about the action on your darts, not the song and dance.”

PDC chief explains rationale behind wildcard selection

While the top four players in the PDC Medal of Honor (this year, world number one Luke Humphreys, world champion Luke Littler, Michael van Gerwen and Rob Cross) automatically qualify for the prestigious… Zhou Roadshow qualifications, but the remaining four contestants were selected by the PDC.

PDC CEO Matt Porter explains this year’s wildcard selections sky sports news: “Obviously Price, Dobby and Aspinall, there are a few players above them who haven’t been picked, but we’ve seen from the performance on the big stage, the popularity and the fact that they can attract 10,000 people a time Spectators came to check out their performance on Thursday.

“We want people to be excited. We want people to get up and enjoy darts.

“That’s not to say other players can’t do it. You have to make the decision about who’s right at the time.”

After Dedecker became the first reigning Grand Prix champion to miss out on selection, Porter added: “Dedecker is an outstanding talent and we will no doubt see him in the Premier League in the future.

“We felt he wasn’t ready yet. Having had a lot of championships and winning one… players in the past like Ross Smith, Danny Noppert and Andrew Gilding, they won TV championships but you have to prove You can regularly participate in the later stages of tournaments.

“It’s great to do it once and you’ll have something like this forever, but to really be part of the elite you have to do it regularly for years.”

2025 BetMGM Premier League Schedule

• first night – SSE Arena, Belfast – Thursday 6 February
• Second night – OVO Hydro, Glasgow – Thursday 13 February
• Night 3 – 3Arena, Dublin – Thursday 20 February
• Night 4 – Exeter West Point – Thursday 27 February
• Night 5 – Brighton Center – Thursday 6 March
• Night Six – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham – Thursday 13 March
• 7pm – Utilita Arena, Cardiff – Thursday 20 March
• 8pm – Newcastle Utilita Arena – Thursday 27 March
• 9pm – Uber Arena Berlin – Thursday 3 April
• 10pm – Manchester AO Arena – Thursday 10th April
• 11pm – Rotterdam Ahoy, Rotterdam – Thursday 17 April
• 12pm – M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool – Thursday 24 April
• 13pm – Utilita Arena, Birmingham, Thursday 1 May
• Night 14 – First Direct Arena, Leeds – Thursday 8 May
• Night 15 – P&J Live, Aberdeen – Thursday 15 May
• Evening 16 – Utilita Arena, Sheffield – Thursday 22 May
• Play-offs – London O2 Theater – Thursday 29 May

Watch Premier League Darts on Sky Sports

Watch all the action Premier League exist sky sports and Luke Littler aims to defend his title. The new Premier League season kicks off in Belfast on Thursday 6 February, with darts’ biggest party set to take place across 17 venues across the UK and Europe with an unchanged line-up.

Who will win the Premier League Darts Championship? Watch all the action on Sky Sports. Live stream darts and more top sports with NOW.