Stephen Bunting has reacted to his inclusion in the Premier League Darts line-up for 2026.
On Monday afternoon, the line-up for this year's Premier League was announced on Sky Sports, with the remaining four wildcard slots confirmed ahead of the opening night on February 5.
Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen are the four highest-ranked players in the PDC Order of Merit, meaning they automatically qualified for the tournament.
A number of high-profile names were in contention after the conclusion of this year's World Championship, including Nathan Aspinall, Rob Cross, James Wade, Danny Noppert and Ryan Searle.
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But after much deliberation, the PDC decided to pick Jonny Clayton, Josh Rock, Gerwyn Price and Stephen Bunting.
The inclusion of an out-of-form Bunting raised eyebrows, with Wayne Mardle giving his immediate reaction to the news. "I'm slightly surprised at Stephen Bunting. He's had a decent enough year but not as good as some in my opinion," he said.
"He can consider himself a little fortunate. He played OK in the Premier League last year but results didn't go well, especially for the first eight weeks when he didn't win a game.
"You can't argue with any of them in terms of their ability and what they are capable of but Bunting will be the one who will breathe a huge sigh of relief."
Bunting, who suffered a third-round exit at the 2026 World Championship following a 4-3 defeat to world number 63 James Hurrell, issued a statement shortly after the Premier League line-up was announced.
"I can’t tell you how pleased I am to have been selected for this year’s Premier League," he wrote on X.
"I accept the back end of the year didn’t go too well, but with 6 tournament wins in 2025 I would have been gutted not to have been selected. #LetsGoBuntingMental."
Several pundits believe Bunting should have been left out of the latest Premier League line-up, including former BDO World Championship semi-finalist Chris Mason.
“I think they will put Bunting in no matter what. Do I think he should be in? No," Mason told talkSPORT before the news was announced.
"Sometimes you just have to hold your hands up, and last year wasn’t a good look for him. I think it would do him good to have a break for a year."
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Mardle, meanwhile, thinks Danny Noppert has been "really unlucky" to miss out after reaching the semi-finals of four majors.
"Nathan Aspinall had a squeak but Noppert I feel – what's he got to do? He won the UK Open a few years ago. Since then he's got better and better. Maybe he's got to reach a final or win one, but Stephen hasn't done that this year," added Mardle.
"With the performances of last year, I thought that would have gone against him rather than for him but he's got a massive following."
Thoughts on the line-up? Let us know in the comments.
Topics: Darts
Jack Kenmare