Bahrain Darts Masters 2025 order of play: full schedule and start times as Luke Littler defends his crown
Luke Littler is back on the big stage for a first outing since World Championship glory at the Bahrain Masters.
The Nuke heads a 16-strong field as he defends the darts crown he won in style 12 months ago. Littler and World No.1 Luke Humphries headline the event which sees eight PDC superstars take on eight Asian representatives in the two-day tournament. The teenager marked his winning arrival on the global stage with a nine-darter on his way to victory at last year’s Bahrain Darts Masters, following his record-breaking run to the 2023-24 World Final.
Now, having gone one better at the Ally Pally at the beginning of the month, Littler is looking to kick-on and retain his Bahrain title. Record Sport takes you through the games, times and where you can see the action on day one. Session one - Thursday 5pm
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Rob Cross vs Paulo Nebrida
The former world champion suffered a big disappointment at the Worlds losing in his very first match to Scott Williams. Nonetheless, the Londoner displayed strong form for the majority of the 2024 season. Philippines ace Nebrida had a superb run at the Worlds knocking out both Jim Williams and Ross Smith before losing in the last 16 to Jeffrey De Graaf.
Gerwyn Price vs Lok Yin Lee
The Iceman found his fires and enthusiasm again at the back end of last year and made the quarter-finals at Ally Pally. Hong Kong youngster Lee, a two-time winner on the PDC Asian Tour, was a big hit at the Aly Pally beating Chris Landman before his adventure was ended by Brendan Dolan.
Stephen Bunting v Nitin Kumar
Bunting was desperate for a crack at the Premier League and was rewarded for his run to the semi-finals at the Worlds with a pick. The Bullet is also back on World Series duty having risen to World No.5. Kumar flew the flag for India at the Worlds and was beaten by Grand Slam of Darts Finalist Martin Lukeman. Lost 6-2 to Rob Cross in this event two years ago.
Chris Dobey vs Basem Mahmood
Bedlington’s finest was rock-solid on the floor in 2024 as he was seeded No.1 for The Players Championship and reached the semi-finals at Ally Pally to boost his bid. Mahmood booked his place by winning the qualifying event. Took part in the 2023 edition of the tournament where he lost 6-0 to Jonny Clayton.
Luke Humphries vs Abdulla Saeed
Deposed as World Champion, he remains World No.1 and will have added determination and desire after losing his cown at Ally Pally. Humphries is certain to have a big say each week in the event and a key figure. Saead is the second home competitor who made it through having finished runner-up to Mahmood in the qualifier. Took part 12 months ago and was whitewashed by Luke Humphries.
Luke Littler vs Lourence Ilagan
The newly-crowned champion of the world will be defending the title he collected in thrilling fashion. He is going to be the man to beat again. Ilagan is one of the sport’s biggest stars in Asia having made nine World Championship appearances and also seven at the World Cup. He lost in the Ally Pally first round to Luke Wodhouse.
Peter Wright vs Alexis Toylo
Snakebite rekindled some of his best to knock defending champ Humphries out at the Worlds on his way to the last-eight. Dropped from the Premier League, Toylo won five of last year’s opening 11 events on his way to securing top spot on the Asian Tour Order of Merit. He played at the World Cup and also hammered Dutchman Richard Veenstra at Ally Pally before losing to Krzysztof Ratajski.
Nathan Aspinall vs Xiaochen Zong
Popular Aspinall has recovered from problems with injuries to start back on an upward curve and made the quarter-finals of the Worlds before losing to Littler and hopes for a big 2025. Zong has been the dominant force in Chinese darts throughout the last few years. The four-time World Cup representative lost in round one at Ally Pally to Ricardo Pietreczko.
WHERE TO WATCH: ITV4, ITVX and PDCTV.
