The PDC has confirmed the eight players who will participate in this year's Premier League Darts competition.
16-year-old Luke Littler - who went on a remarkable run to this year's World Championship final - will be among the competitors.
The others include new world champion Luke Humphries along with reigning champion Michael van Gerwen, Michael Smith, Nathan Aspinall, Gerwyn Price, Rob Cross and Peter Wright.
Littler found out immediately after Wednesday's 7-4 defeat to Humphries that he had been offered a place in the 2024 Premier League Darts competition.
BREAKING: Luke Littler will be involved in the Premier League Darts 2024 🎯 pic.twitter.com/X4ZvtpxHod
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) January 4, 2024
"It's just unbelievable," he told Sky Sports.
"I got my first ranking money, £2,500 from the UK Open, and I just got myself £200,000, and I'm inside the top 32 [ranked players]. No more development tour, this is it!
"As soon as I came off the stage, done the media, went upstairs and saw the family, my manager Martin pulled me aside, and said, 'Do you want to do it?'
"I said to my mum and dad, 'Let's do it'. It might never happen again. I've just come runner-up [in a world darts final], that may never happen again. I've got to take every opportunity I can get.
"[My parents] just said it's going to be tough. I'm never going to be home. Let's get on the road every week and enjoy it."
SEE ALSO: Mental Health Battles Make Darts Title 'More Incredible' For Luke Humphries
Following his victory, Humphries described Littler as an "unbelievable talent" who deserves to be one of the eight players in the Premier League.
"He took defeat so well there," said Humphries.
"He said 'Go and celebrate'. You will never see another down-to-earth 16-year-old kid like him. He's just something else.
"I really hope he's in the Premier League. If he doesn't want to play in it, fair enough. I think it would be a pleasure to play alongside him this year. He's one of the best players in the world, there is no doubt about that.
"If you're not going to be overawed in a world final, I don't think Premier League is going to overawe you. It's just for him, it's his decision. It takes a lot out of you. He's going to be playing in so many different things."
"You will be World Champion one day, that is for sure. Just don't do it against me!" 🤣
Luke Humphries 🤝 Luke Littler pic.twitter.com/6q6ifttwkc
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) January 4, 2024
Humphries added that his omission from last year's Premier League Darts competition helped him.
"I've got to give credit to the PDC because they left me out of it [in 2023] and they made the right decision," he said.
"It allowed me go on and prove them wrong, win lots of titles, which I did. I'm really proud of the way I've come back from that."
Between February and May, there are 16 nights of competition in the Premier League Darts tournament, along with the playoffs at the O2 Arena in London.
The competition, which gets underway in Cardiff on February 1st, will feature two nights in Ireland, first at the 3Arena in Dublin on March 21st and then at the SSE Arena in Belfast on March 28th.
The 16 mini events are comprised of quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final over the best of 11 legs. Points will be awarded each night to form the league table. The top four players will progress to the playoffs on May 23rd.
See Also: An Incredible Fly On The Wall Darts Documentary Is Coming In 2024
