Nathan Aspinall revealed he found out he had not made the Premier League Darts 2026 line-up via text.
The top four in the PDC Order of Merit automatically qualified, meaning world champion Luke Littler, Luke Humphreys, World Championship finalist Gian van Venn and Michael van Gerwen were given places.
Then Stephen Bunting, Josh Rock, Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton were chosen as wildcards.
A debut for Rock, a return for Clayton, plus Price and Bunting retaining their places means ‘The Asp’ missed out.
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Wayne Mardle reveals who he believes is lucky to be included and unhappy to miss out on the 2026 Premier League darts line-up.
Aspinall reached the final of the Premier League last year but dropped to 14th in the world on merit.
Meanwhile, there was a mixed reaction to Bunting retaining his seat. It was a tough outing for Bunting in the 2025 Premier League as he lost his opening eight games before winning the Ninth Night in Berlin, but he will return to the Premier League for the second consecutive year.
Aspinall was actually sitting next to ‘The Bullet’ when he found out he had failed this time.
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An incredible 170 clearance saw Nathan Aspinall secure a hard-fought first round win over Lawrence Ilagan.
“The only difference that was difficult this year was that we were at an event and I was traveling with Stephen Bunting on the plane and he got a text at 3.15pm saying he was in and I got a text at 3.21pm saying I wasn’t there,” Aspinall said.
“It was a tough journey home. Matt Porter explained the reasons why I wasn’t there.
“I felt like if I did it last year, I probably didn’t deserve it last year.
“I felt like I deserved it this year if I got it. Take the rough with the smooth, I don’t dwell on it.”
“I haven’t put anything on social media because I can’t be bothered with people jumping on it.”
“I accepted the decision, let’s move forward, and it gives me hunger and fight not to miss again.”
The PDC has been contacted for comment.
Bunting: I deserve my place
Bunting, meanwhile, said he didn’t like his place being a question mark and had earned another chance in 2026.
“I’m a bit disappointed that people thought it was between me and Nathan, to be honest,” Bunting said.
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Speaking on Love The Darts, Matt Edgar and Paul Nicholson discuss Stephen Bunting’s inclusion in the Premier League in 2026.
“I believe I deserve to be, I’m 7 in the world, I had a great year last year, I won six tournaments and I was in 10 finals.”
“That’s one of them – I’ve got a big fan base, I’ve got a great walk, I know people don’t talk about walks.
“I truly believe that I deserve to be there and I will show everyone that I deserve to be there.”
“It really killed me 11 years ago when I played and then got relegated from the Premier League.
“It affected me for the rest of my career, to be honest, for two, three years after that. I was down in the dumps.
“I’m just grateful that the PDC saw the opportunity to put me in, I’m grateful and I’ll repay their faith with great performances and lots of wins, hopefully.”
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Find out the eight players who will compete for the Premier League Darts title in 2026.
The Premier League returns on February 5, every Sunday live on Ski Sports.
Luke Humphries returns as the defending champion, while Gian van Venn and Michael van Gerwen were the other automatic qualifiers.
Jonny Clayton, Jerwyn Price, Josh Rock and Stephen Bunting were the wildcard picks to complete the eight-man squad, which began the season at Newcastle on 5 February.
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