By David Williams

Luke Littler will make his Premier League debut against Luke Humphries in a rematch of their World Championship final in Cardiff next week.

The 17-year-old headlines the opening night of the weekly competition against the man who beat him in the showpiece at Alexandra Palace at the start of the month.

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While Humphries became world champion and world number one in a brilliant tournament of his own, lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy after a 7-4 win, it was Littler who stole the headlines on his historic run where he transcended the sport, becoming front and back page news.

That earned him a coveted slot in the Premier League and he doubled down on his stardom by beating Michael van Gerwen and hitting a nine-dart finish on his way to winning the Bahrain Masters last week.

He opens his campaign against fellow debutant Humphries in the Welsh capital a week on Thursday, plays Rob Cross in a repeat of the World Championship semi-final a week later, meets Michael Smith in Exeter on week five and then faces Van Gerwen in Nottingham a fortnight later.

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Each weekly mini-event, where a night consists of quarter-finals, a semi-final and a final over the best of 11 legs, contributes to a league table where the top four players advance to the play-offs at the O2 in London in May.

The opening night also sees Van Gerwen and Smith go head-to-head in a blockbusting clash, while Welshman Gerwyn Price takes on Nathan Aspinall and Peter Wright battles Cross.

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