# 2020 Premier League Darts

The 2020 Unibet Premier League Darts was a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation – the sixteenth edition of the tournament. The event began on Thursday 6 February at the P&J Live in Aberdeen and ended with the Play-offs at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry on Thursday 15 October, after a delay was caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Michael van Gerwen was the four-time defending champion after defeating Rob Cross 11–5 in the 2019 final. However, he was eliminated from the competition in week 16, after an 8–2 defeat to Daryl Gurney, and a poor run of form saw him slip out of the playoffs, for the first time in his career.
Glen Durrant, who was making his debut in the tournament, finished the regular season in 1st place (becoming only the third player to do so at the time, after van Gerwen and Phil Taylor) to set up a semi-final meeting between Gary Anderson. Durrant claimed a narrow 10–9 victory (including surviving 4 match darts from Anderson), before eventually winning the competition, by beating fellow debutant Nathan Aspinall 11–8 in the final to claim his first televised PDC title.
This was also the first time in Premier League Darts history that the four players that qualified for the finals had not appeared in the finals of the previous year's edition (the four players being van Gerwen, Gurney, Cross and James Wade).
On 12 March 2020, it was announced that the double-header due to be played in Rotterdam had been postponed due to coronavirus concerns. The following day it was announced that the Rotterdam dates would be moved to September, with the culmination of the tournament taking place there instead of London. On 16 March 2020. it was announced the round to be played in Newcastle would be moved to October, taking over as the tournament's final round.
The May dates were postponed on 9 April 2020, with the PDC announcing a fully rescheduled calendar, the play-offs now taking place in Sheffield. Further changes were announced in July and August, with the cancellation of the events in Birmingham, Belfast, Leeds, Berlin, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield, and the double header in Rotterdam; and the reinstatement of The O$_2$ Arena as the host of the final. Ten nights were added to the calendar to be held behind closed doors at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes. The play-offs were subsequently moved to the Ricoh Arena in Coventry and also played behind closed doors.

## Format

The tournament format will remain the same as 2019, with the only difference being the re-branding of 'contenders' to 'challengers' for this season.
Phase 1: In each round, eight of the nine players play each other in four matches and the ninth player plays one match against one of the nine challengers. Phase 1 matches have a maximum of twelve legs, allowing for the winner being first to seven or a six-six draw. At the end of Phase 1, the bottom player is eliminated from the competition.
Phase 2: In each round, the remaining eight players play each other in four matches. Phase 2 matches have a maximum of fourteen legs, allowing for the winner being first to eight or a seven-seven draw. At the end of Phase 2, the bottom four players in the league table are eliminated from the competition.
Play-off Night: The top four players in the league table contest the two knockout semi-finals with 1st playing 4th and 2nd playing 3rd. The semi-finals are first to 10 legs (best of 19). The two winning semi-finalists meet in the final which is first to 11 legs (best of 21).

## Venues

The only change of venues from 2019 to 2020 was the introduction of the P&J Live in Aberdeen, which hosted the opening night's action.
Following the COVID-19 outbreak, the rounds in Birmingham, Belfast, Leeds, Berlin, Rotterdam, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield were cancelled, with rounds being added in Milton Keynes to make up.
| Aberdeen | Nottingham | Cardiff | Dublin |
| P&J Live Thursday 6 February | Motorpoint Arena Nottingham Thursday 13 February | Motorpoint Arena Cardiff Thursday 20 February | 3Arena Thursday 27 February |
| Exeter | Liverpool | Birmingham | Belfast |
| Westpoint Arena Thursday 5 March | M&S Bank Arena Thursday 12 March | Arena Birmingham (cancelled) | SSE Arena Belfast (cancelled) |
| Leeds | Berlin | Rotterdam | Milton Keynes |
| First Direct Arena (cancelled) | Mercedes Benz Arena (cancelled) | Rotterdam Ahoy (cancelled) | Marshall Arena Tuesday 25 August – Saturday 5 September |
| Glasgow | Manchester | Newcastle | Sheffield |
| SSE Hydro (cancelled) | Manchester Arena (cancelled) | Utilita Arena Newcastle (cancelled) | Sheffield Arena (cancelled) |
| London | Coventry |
| The O$_2$ Arena (cancelled) | Ricoh Arena Thursday 15 October |

## Prize money

The prize money for the 2020 tournament remained at £825,000.
| Stage | Prize Money |
| Winner | £250,000 |
| Runner-up | £120,000 |
| Semi-finalists (x2) | £80,000 |
| 5th place | £70,000 |
| 6th place | £60,000 |
| 7th place | £55,000 |
| 8th place | £50,000 |
| 9th place | £35,000 |
| League Winner Bonus | £25,000 |
| Total | £825,000 |

## Players

The players in this year's tournament were announced following the 2020 PDC World Darts Championship final on 1 January. The top four on the PDC Order of Merit are joined by five wildcards.
| Player | Appearance in Premier League | Consecutive Streak | Order of Merit Rank on 1/1/20 | Previous best performance | Qualification |
| Michael van Gerwen | 8th | 8 | 1 | Winner (2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) | PDC Order of Merit |
| Peter Wright | 7th | 7 | 2 | Runner-up (2017) | PDC Order of Merit |
| Gerwyn Price | 3rd | 3 | 3 | 5th (2019) | PDC Order of Merit |
| Rob Cross | 3rd | 3 | 4 | Runner-up (2019) | PDC Order of Merit |
| Michael Smith | 4th | 3 | 5 | Runner-up (2018) | Wildcard |
| Gary Anderson | 9th | 1 | 6 | Winner (2011, 2015) | Wildcard |
| Daryl Gurney | 3rd | 3 | 7 | Semi-final (2019) | Wildcard |
| Nathan Aspinall | 1st | 1 | 8 | Debut | Wildcard |
| Glen Durrant | 1st | 1 | 22 | Debut | Wildcard |
* ↑ Anderson qualified for the 2019 Premier League Darts, but withdrew following an injury.
* 1 2 Competed in 2019 Premier League Darts as a contender.
The format is similar to that of 2019, with 9 main players plus 9 invited players, now referred to as 'challengers' in a re-brand from the tag of 'contenders'. The 9 main players earn league points if they win or draw against the challengers. The challengers do not earn any league points but they earn financial bonuses if they win or draw their match.
| Player | Venue | Order of Merit Rank on 1/1/20 |
| John Henderson | Aberdeen | 31 |
| Fallon Sherrock | Nottingham | 91 |
| Jonny Clayton | Cardiff | 16 |
| William O'Connor | Dublin | 37 |
| Luke Humphries | Exeter | 35 |
| Stephen Bunting | Liverpool | 17 |
| Chris Dobey | Milton Keynes | 19 |
| Jeffrey de Zwaan | Milton Keynes | 20 |
| Jermaine Wattimena | Milton Keynes | 23 |
* ↑ Not a PDC Tour Card holder following the 2020 PDC World Darts Championship

## League stage

Players in italics are "Challengers", and only play on that night.

## Play-offs – 15 October

Ricoh Arena, Coventry
| | Score | |
| Semi-finals (best of 19 legs) |||
| Glen Durrant 86.10 | 10 – 9 | Gary Anderson 87.82 |
| Peter Wright 94.02 | 7 – 10 | Nathan Aspinall 95.67 |
| Final (best of 21 legs) |||
| Glen Durrant 91.84 | 11 – 8 | Nathan Aspinall 92.15 |
| Night's Total Average: 91.01 |||
| Highest Checkout: Nathan Aspinall 141 |||
| Most 180s: Nathan Aspinall 13 |||
| Night's 180s: 26 |||

## Table and streaks
### Table

After the first nine rounds in phase 1, the bottom player in the table is eliminated. In phase 2, the eight remaining players play in a single match on each of the seven nights. The top four players then compete in the knockout semi-finals and final on the playoff night.
The nine challengers are not ranked in the table, but the main nine players can earn league points for a win or draw in the games against them.
Two points are awarded for a win and one point for a draw. When players are tied on points, leg difference is used first as a tie-breaker, after that legs won against throw and then tournament average.
| # | Name | Matches | Matches | Matches | Matches | Matches | Legs | Legs | Legs | Legs | Scoring | Scoring | Scoring | Scoring | Scoring | Scoring |
| # | Name | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | LF | LA | +/- | LWAT | 100+ | 140+ | 180s | A | HC | C% |
| 1 | Glen Durrant W | 16 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 21 | 104 | 85 | +19 | 36 | 222 | 136 | 35 | 98.05 | 167 | 40.63 |
| 2 | Peter Wright | 16 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 20 | 102 | 84 | +18 | 29 | 219 | 135 | 62 | 99.66 | 170 | 47.00 |
| 3 | Nathan Aspinall RU | 16 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 19 | 103 | 92 | +11 | 36 | 223 | 142 | 61 | 98.62 | 170 | 39.02 |
| 4 | Gary Anderson | 16 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 19 | 98 | 92 | +6 | 36 | 209 | 135 | 52 | 97.07 | 170 | 39.74 |
| 5 | Gerwyn Price | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 17 | 99 | 84 | +15 | 33 | 220 | 122 | 45 | 98.56 | 164 | 41.60 |
| 6 | Michael van Gerwen | 16 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 17 | 89 | 93 | –4 | 28 | 206 | 105 | 43 | 99.05 | 144 | 41.06 |
| 7 | Michael Smith | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 89 | 96 | −7 | 33 | 193 | 110 | 73 | 97.20 | 167 | 36.33 |
| 8 | Daryl Gurney | 16 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 11 | 86 | 101 | −15 | 31 | 212 | 123 | 41 | 93.50 | 164 | 38.91 |
| 9 | Rob Cross | 9 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 44 | 58 | −14 | 17 | 119 | 69 | 19 | 94.61 | 143 | 37.61 |
W = Winner RU = Runner Up

### Streaks

| Player | Phase 1, Nights 1 to 9 | Phase 1, Nights 1 to 9 | Phase 1, Nights 1 to 9 | Phase 1, Nights 1 to 9 | Phase 1, Nights 1 to 9 | Phase 1, Nights 1 to 9 | Phase 1, Nights 1 to 9 | Phase 1, Nights 1 to 9 | Phase 1, Nights 1 to 9 | Phase 2, Nights 10 to 16 | Phase 2, Nights 10 to 16 | Phase 2, Nights 10 to 16 | Phase 2, Nights 10 to 16 | Phase 2, Nights 10 to 16 | Phase 2, Nights 10 to 16 | Phase 2, Nights 10 to 16 | | Play-offs | Play-offs |
| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | | SF | F |
| Glen Durrant | W | D | W | L | W | W | D | W | W | W | D | W | D | D | L | L | | W | W |
| Peter Wright | L | D | W | L | W | W | D | W | W | L | L | L | W | W | W | W | | L | — |
| Nathan Aspinall | W | L | W | W | L | D | W | L | W | L | W | L | W | L | W | W | | W | L |
| Gary Anderson | W | D | L | W | L | D | W | L | W | W | D | W | W | W | L | L | | L | — |
| Gerwyn Price | D | D | D | W | L | L | L | W | W | L | W | W | L | D | D | W | | — | — |
| Michael van Gerwen | W | W | L | W | L | W | W | L | L | W | L | W | L | D | W | L | | — | — |
| Michael Smith | L | D | W | W | W | L | L | W | L | W | L | L | D | L | D | L | | — | — |
| Daryl Gurney | L | L | D | L | D | L | W | W | L | L | W | L | L | D | L | W | | — | — |
| Rob Cross | D | W | L | L | D | D | L | L | L | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated |
| Challengers | L | D | L | L | W | D | L | L | L | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Legend: | W | Win | D | Draw | L | Loss | — | Eliminated |

### Positions by Week

| Player | Phase 1, Nights 1 to 9 | Phase 1, Nights 1 to 9 | Phase 1, Nights 1 to 9 | Phase 1, Nights 1 to 9 | Phase 1, Nights 1 to 9 | Phase 1, Nights 1 to 9 | Phase 1, Nights 1 to 9 | Phase 1, Nights 1 to 9 | Phase 1, Nights 1 to 9 | Phase 2, Nights 10 to 16 | Phase 2, Nights 10 to 16 | Phase 2, Nights 10 to 16 | Phase 2, Nights 10 to 16 | Phase 2, Nights 10 to 16 | Phase 2, Nights 10 to 16 | Phase 2, Nights 10 to 16 |
| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| Glen Durrant | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Peter Wright | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Nathan Aspinall | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Gary Anderson | 3 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Gerwyn Price | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| Michael van Gerwen | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| Michael Smith | 9 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Daryl Gurney | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Rob Cross | 5 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated |