Sky Sports Darts’ Wayne Mardle believes Stephen Bunting is “lucky” and has questioned Danny Noppert’s snub in this year’s Premier League Darts.
The decision to select Bunting, along with other wild cards in Jonny Clayton, Gerwyn Price and Josh Rock, has sparked controversy since it was announced on Monday.
Bunting finished bottom of the Premier League last year and has not had more than one major league win since the World Match Play in July.
He won two World Series events and two European Tour events, but Mardle believes other players not selected for the Premier League have had better seasons.
“I think it was a lucky choice for Stephen. We know he was No. 4 in the world going into the World Championships. Now he’s out of that spot. If he had been left out it would have been a hard pill to swallow for him,” he said. sky sports.
“But again, I think he’s going to be the one breathing a sigh of relief because he didn’t play poorly last year, it just took him eight weeks to get a win.
“In the shorts, you would have thought no one would lose eight games on the bounce. He did that, but he couldn’t get out of last place. He eventually rallied, and to be fair, he rallied and still finished last.”
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Alexandra Palace goes wild as Stephen Bunting arrives in style with his iconic ‘Titanium’ walk-on number.
World number 10 Noppert was the player to watch after appearing in four major semi-finals, while Nathan Aspinall was also eliminated. Mardle believes it is “a bitter pill to swallow for Noppert” after an “amazing” year.
“He’s had a better year than the other players in there, but if you know what you get from Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton, you know what you get in the Premier League, you don’t know what you get from Danny Noppert,” he said.
“You know you’re going to get someone who’s very consistent, but is he someone who connects with the crowd? Can he be that guy? Can he be the guy that people turn on their TVs to see him?
“I’ve spent a lot of time on Danny. I think he’s an amazing player, and the way he played in the World Championships, it’s hard to lose early on in the World Championships. It’s hard to get more credit than he got into it. The reason he did that was because his match with Justin Hood was absolutely ridiculous. What does he have to do to get in?”
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Justin Hood came out on top after an epic final set against Danny Noppert in the second round of the World Darts Championship.
Mardle: Rock will have fun in the Premier League
Northern Ireland’s Josh Rock will be one of two players to make his debut with the World Championship runners-up when the Premier League kicks off in Newcastle on February 5.
Rock won the World Cup of Darts with Daryl Gurney, reached the semi-finals of the UK Open and World Matchplay and finished in the top 10 of the PDC rankings for the first time.
Mardle said: “He is on the rise and continues to play well. We have seen him perform well in the past with debutants.
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Josh Rock’s nine-dart attempt ended in entertaining fashion as he landed just one dart after six perfect darts in the second round of the World Championships.
“Josh is one of the players who will love it. He has a passionate personality and seems to thrive on competition. That’s what the Premier League is all about – it’s a big stage, it’s a competition and it’s relentless.
“I think if he’s new to the Premier League he’s not going to get tired. There are a few, Gary Anderson is one of them, Michael van Gerwen has also spoken a lot about how tough the Premier League can be when you’ve played so often in the Premier League. It’s like, ‘I want a break, I don’t want to be there’. Gary says that a lot.
“But Josh still has something new in him. I don’t think that’s a problem at all. I think he’ll do really well.”
Who will be the winner of this year’s Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries will defend his title and you can watch it live on Sky Sports every Thursday from February 5 to May 28. Stream the best sports including darts with NOW.
