Earlier this week, the PDC announced the line-up for the 2025 Premier League Darts.
More ➡️ PDC announce 2025 Premier League line-up
The line-up is selected with the top 4 in the PDC Order of Merit gaining automatic selection, four ‘wildcard’ picks are then selected by the PDC.
The four wildcard picks are always a hotly debated topic in darts each year as it’s rare for anyone to agree on the full line-up and this year was no different…
Luke Humphries, Luke Littler, Michael van Gerwen and Rob Cross all gained automatic selection. Stephen Bunting, Gerwyn Price, Chris Dobey and Nathan Aspinall all earned selection through this year’s wildcard places.
Stephen Bunting’s selection has not been debated after he won the Masters, made it to the semi-finals of the 2025 World Championship and is now 6th in the OoM.
The other three players didn’t necessarily have as good of a season as other players in 2024 and they are also not as highly ranked which is where the debate landed this week.
See related – Biggest losers from the 2025 Premier League line-up announcement
Mike De Decker has made history after missing out on selection.
The Belgian won the World Grand Prix in 2024 and has become the first player in 20-years to win a major title and NOT be in the Premier League the following year.
Following his omission, De Decker has now publicly hit out at both the PDC and some of the selected players calling the decision ‘scandalous’…
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Mike De Decker Labels PDC as ‘Scandalous’ Following Premier League Snub
In an interview with Het Nieuwsblad (via The Sun), Mike De Decker was scathing in his response to being snubbed.
His translation is quoted as saying:
“I find their decision a bit scandalous to be honest. I didn’t think that [the PDC’s] explanation was fair.
“After my Grand Prix victory, I said that I might not be ready and I don’t regret that. But afterwards, I confirmed at other tournaments that I can compete with the world’s best.
“Only at the World Championships it didn’t work out. S*** and shame that it happened then, but still, I do feel ready.”
It wasn’t just the PDC the De Decker would take aim at, he also fired back at some of the selected players saying:
“They did not deserve it.
“Suddenly they reach the quarter-finals at the World Championships and they are there. Aspinall is there with his walk-on purely for the entertainment and if Price performs badly in the first few weeks, he will start complaining again.
“They say that you get into the Premier League based on results but apparently that is not the case.”
It’s fair to say that De Decker is less than pleased with the decision but following the announcement, PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter takes a moment to explain the reason Mike De Decker was left out.
Matt Porter on Mike De Decker’s Premier League Exclusion
Mike De Decker was considered by many to be a favourite to secure one of the wildcard positions prior to the announcement and this is something Matt Porter must have been aware of, and prepared for.
During the announcement on Sky Sports News, the PDC Chief Executive said the following:
“Mike [De Decker] is an outstanding talent and is someone that undoubtedly we will see in Premier League Darts in the future. We didn’t feel he was quite ready.
“There’s a lot of tournaments throughout the year and winning one – we’ve seen players in the past I don’t want to embarass by naming them – but players like Danny Noppert, Ross Smith and Andrew Gilding that have won TV tournaments. But you have to show that you can compete in the latter stages of TV tournaments on a regular basis.
“Doing it once is fantastic and is something that you will always have but to really be part of the elite, you have to be doing it on a regular basis over multiple years.”
The PDC are yet to comment on De Deckers recent outburst.
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