Gerwyn Price proposes overhaul of Premier League Darts format
Gerwyn Price has called for a dramatic overhaul of the Premier League Darts format, proposing a weekly WWE-style “Royal Rumble” event featuring 16 players, reports BritPanorama.
The former world champion suggested this change after securing his place at Finals Night at The O2 Arena by reaching the final on Night 15 in Birmingham, despite being defeated by Luke Humphries.
With only one league night remaining in Sheffield, Price and Humphries are currently tied on 24 points, with both players aiming to secure a more advantageous position as the competition progresses. The third-placed player will avoid a semi-final clash with runaway table-topper Luke Littler at Finals Night.
Price, who remains focused on his aspirations for the title this season, has already begun to contemplate how the competition could evolve in coming years. The current format, introduced in 2022, has players compete in knockout brackets over 17 nights before the top four advance to the finale in London. While the system has produced strong viewing figures, some players and fans have questioned whether the frequent matchups among the same competitors have rendered the tournament predictable.
To combat this, Price has advocated reviving elements of earlier formats. He suggested expanding the field to ten players in the opening phase, with each player contesting one match per night over the first nine weeks. After that stage, the two lowest performers would be eliminated, and the remaining eight would enter the current quarter-final knockout stage.
Price wrote on social media, “Back to the old format of 10 players all playing one game per night. After nine weeks the bottom two drop out like in previous years and go into the format of the last few years.” He added that the rest would progress to a quarter-final, culminating in a winner.
However, the most attention-grabbing element of his proposal is the introduction of a “Royal Rumble” competition, where 16 players would engage in a rolling weekly contest staged between the second and third Premier League matches. Under this concept, the reigning champion would face a mystery challenger whose identity would only be revealed at the moment their entrance music plays.
Price explained, “The twist and added excitement would be a Royal Rumble-style game added on each Premier League night. The Royal Rumble winner after the full 16 weeks gets a belt, prize money and a space in the following year’s Premier League.” The challengers would comprise the top eight players from the one-year Order of Merit who are not already in the Premier League, along with the next eight highest-ranked players.
Price believes that this new format would not only expand the tournament to include 26 of the world’s leading players but also inject a fresh layer of unpredictability and entertainment into one of darts’ most celebrated events.
As the sport continues to grow, such innovative proposals may well be what both players and fans are craving — a reminder that in the world of competitive darts, even the most established formats are open to transformation.
