Darts pundit Paul Nicholson reckons the PDC could rip up the recently-introduced Premier League format after just one year.
With a thrilling World Championship in the history books, attention will soon shift to the Premier League, which kicks off in Belfast on February 2. As usual at this time of year, a debate is raging amongst darts fans over which players should be part of the annual darting roadshow across the UK, Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands.
For 2022, there was a drastic change of format which saw eight players compete in a mini tournament each night with quarter-finals, semis and a final.
READ MORE: PDC chief defends Premier League format but reveals minor tweak for 2023
It’s fair to say the formula polarised opinions among players and fans. Gerwyn Price, for one, regularly criticised it while some fans accused the format of producing too many of the same matches.
However, with ticket sales strong, punters at the arenas seemed happy and PDC chief executive Matt Porter insisted last year that the system would remain in place for a while before inevitably being revamped again in the future.
But former darts professional-turned-commentator Nicholson can see the format being tweaked as soon as this year, with up to 12 players being included.
“I wouldn't actually be surprised if there's a late change in format to make room for more than eight players because there did of course used to be 10 in the line-up. Even if they made it 12, I wouldn't be shocked,” wrote Nicholson in his column for Sporting Life.
Nicholson, however, would have reservations over splitting the field up into two divisions playing alternate weeks, as has been suggested by some fans.
“This would not only allow more players to be involved but also give them more rest in what's already a very hectic season for those involved in the tournament,” added Nicholson.
“The big problem with this idea, however, is that ticket holders might not get to see their favourite players. Imagine you are a huge Michael van Gerwen fan living in Belfast and have a ticket but his division isn't in action that week.
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“If you split the top guys up equally across both divisions then you won't see Michael van Gerwen v Gerwyn Price, for example, until the play-off night.
“I think you have to keep it to one division of the elite. If you go to two divisions then the format has to be much shorter and you have both of them on the same night.
“It's an elite event and I can't see the PDC or Sky Sports making radical changes like that – or even a team/franchise system like John Part once suggested.”
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