Darts Premier League 2026: Night Nine - Manchester

• Ladbrokes previews Night Nine of the 2026 Darts Premier League in Manchester

• Luke Littler favourite to win a third consecutive night in front of his home crowd

• Josh Rock hoping to beat Jonny Clayton in the opening round for the second week in a row

Ladbrokes shares a quick rundown of what to expect from Night Nine of the 2026 Darts Premier League, as the players take to the oche in Manchester.

Luke Littler made it two triumphs in as many weeks with victory in Berlin last time out, and in front of a home crowd, the world number one is once again the favourite to get his hands on the trophy in Manchester.

Below, you'll find a quick look at each of Night Nine's opening-round fixtures, plus the odds & favourites - and don't forget to check out our season overview!

Michael van Gerwen vs Stephen Bunting

Seven-time Premier League winner Michael van Gerwen kicks off Night Nine of Darts Premier League action with a quarter-final against Stephen Bunting - who has lost each of his last three PL matches.

The Bullet has already been beaten by MVG once in this year's tournament, and with van Gerwen reaching last week's final after a couple of comfortable victories, the iconic Dutchman has a top-four spot to cling on to.

He enters this one as favourite to progress, with Bunting still only having won four Premier League matches all year, and we're backing Michael van Gerwen to show his class with a ruthless victory.

Gerwyn Price vs Luke Humphries

Luke Humphries is still waiting to pick up his first nightly win of the year, and having lost his top-four spot after being beaten in the opening round last week, Cool Hand needs a performance - which won't be easy against the dangerous Gerwyn Price.

The Iceman has only lost three of his eight quarter-finals this year, and currently sits third with a nightly win to his name. Plus, the Welshman beat Humphries two weeks ago in Dublin, so the world number two will have to be at his very best.

That being said, Humphries does come into this one as a slight favourite, with his world ranking giving him the edge over his in-form opponent.

Gian van Veen vs Luke Littler

Luke Littler's resurgence continued with another nightly win last week, wrapping up his second in as many weeks with an eye-catching 170 checkout - and he's heavy favourite to get past fellow youngster Gian van Veen in Manchester.

Playing in front of a home crowd, world number one Littler will be hoping - if not expecting - to make it three nightly wins on the bounce, which would see him extend his lead at the top of the Premier League table.

World number three Gian van Veen has stuttered after a strong start to the season, not winning a PL match since February, and with Littler regaining the form that saw him claim back-to-back World Championships in January, the Dutchman is a heavy underdog in Manchester.

Jonny Clayton vs Josh Rock

Rounding off the quarter-finals in Manchester, surprise package Jonny Clayton faces this season's most underwhelming performer, Josh Rock.

While Clayton has claimed two nightly wins and found form to rival the very best, Rock has picked up just one win throughout the entire season so far - but it did come against Clayton last week, so the Northern Irishman will be confident of adding to his tally.

That being said, Clayton's disappointing defeat last week may well have just been a small blip, and with The Ferret coming into the night as favourite to progress, the bookies predict yet another defeat for Josh Rock.

View the latest Darts odds.

All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication.