Luke Littler beats Luke Humphries in Aberdeen to retake Premier League lead

Luke Littler seized control of the Premier League race again in Aberdeen, coming from behind to beat Luke Humphries 6-5 in the Night 13 final and move back to the top of the table. The 19-year-old won the last three legs to deny the world number two in the first Premier League final of 2026 between the sport’s two leading figures.

The result carried far more weight than one night’s prize money. Littler’s fifth nightly win of the season pushed him above Jonny Clayton in the eight-player standings and strengthened a challenge that has turned early-season frustration into a commanding run toward the play-offs. After sitting seventh in the table during a slow start, Littler has now won in Cardiff, Dublin and Aberdeen, adding to the sense that his form has shifted from bursts of brilliance into something harder to stop.

Aberdeen followed a familiar Littler pattern. He opened the final with an 11-dart leg, Humphries answered with a 130 checkout and later landed a 10-dart leg, and the match stayed tight until Littler found his late surge. That finish mattered because Humphries had only just reached his first final since Night Six in Nottingham, where he lost to Jonny Clayton. The defending champion is still close enough to pressure the table, but Littler now has the momentum and the points lead to frame the title race on his terms.

The wider structure of the 2026 Premier League gives that lead real value. The eight-player competition runs every Thursday through Finals Night at The O2 in London on 28 May 2026, with the top four after Night 16 in Sheffield advancing to the play-offs. Each nightly winner takes £10,000 and five points, while the overall champion will collect £350,000 from a total prize fund of £1,250,000. With Michael van Gerwen, Humphries and Gian van Veen among those still fighting for the remaining Finals Night places, the margin for error is shrinking.

Littler’s surge also carries historical weight. He beat Humphries 11-7 in the 2024 Premier League final at The O2, landing a nine-dart finish on a record-breaking night, and this season’s revival suggests that result may have marked the start of a longer power shift rather than a single headline night. If Littler keeps turning finals into wins, the question is no longer whether he belongs at the top of darts. It is whether anyone can stay there with him.