Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Darts, World Darts Championship, Premier League
Ryan Smart
Gary Anderson has said that he felt 'sick' after not being invited to compete in the 2026 Premier League - although not for the reason you might expect.
Anderson was not included in the list of eight players to compete in the invitational tournament, which was announced on Monday.
His exclusion was not a surprise, given that Anderson himself confirmed prior to the World Championship that he did not want to compete even if asked.
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Had he been open to playing in the Premier League, the 55-year-old surely would have been involved, having reached the semi-final of the World Championship.
Anderson would go on to lose to Gian van Veen but, despite being defeated 6-3, still averaged over 102 in what was one of the tournament's all-time great matches.
That run moved him up to world number six in the two-year PDC Order of Merit.
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Anderson hasn't competed in the Premier League in any of its last three editions, citing the amount of travel and workload as the key reasons as to why he no longer wants to play in the event.
The two-time winner of the event has told Premier Darts that he was 'sick' about not being asked to play in 2026 by the PDC - but not because he had a last-minute change of mind.
Instead, the Scotsman joked that he wanted to have been able to personally turn down the invitation, adding that playing in the Premier League would affect his plans to continue playing professional darts for the next five years.
"No [I didn't get an invite]," he said. "Which I was sick about because I wanted to say no.
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"I think they knew the way I had gone on. They kept asking, asking and asking, but I'm happy with what I'm doing now.
"The Premier League - I've done it. Got the T-shirt.
"It's fantastic, hard-grafting. But to do that, and with me up to world number six now, I want to keep pushing for the next five years. I still want to do the ProTours and the Europeans.
"If you're in the Premier League, you need to be there on the Wednesday and play on the Thursday. On Friday, you have to fly off to Germany or wherever it is, then you're playing Saturday and Sunday."
The Scot continued: "Back on Monday, then Tuesday you're at home packing and getting ready for Wednesday again.
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"Don't get me wrong, the money is good. But it cancels itself out, doesn't it?"
Had 'The Flying Scotsman' beaten Van Veen to reach the world final, he would risen to world number three and received an automatic invite to the Premier League.
In that event, he would have become the first player to refuse to compete in the Premier League despite being entitled to.
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Instead, it was Van Veen who secured his spot in the top four of the Order of Merit, alongside Luke Littler, Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen, at number three.
Stephen Bunting, Gerwyn Price, Jonny Clayton and Josh Rock were the four other players invited by the PDC to play in the Premier League.
The 2026 Premier League Darts will take place from Thursday, February 5 to Thursday, May 28. You can purchase hospitality tickets on Seat Unique or watch live on Sky Sports via NOW TV.