Gerwyn Price has hit back at the critics who claim he doesn’t deserve a place in this year’s Premier League Darts. The Welshman is returning to the scene of his famous double nine-darter at the SSE Arena on Thursday with an uncompromising message for those who say he shouldn’t be there.

The Welshman and Nathan Aspinall were controversial selections for the event, with pundits and several players publicly questioning whether they deserve to be in the eight-player line-up, which includes World Champion and favourite Luke Littler .

But Price, who hit two remarkable nine-darters on the same night in the Premier League in Belfast in 2022, told Belfast Live that he deserved to be picked despite what was a disappointing 2024.

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Mike De Decker, who won his first major in 2024 by scooping the World Grand Prix trophy, was among those who slated the selections, claiming that Aspinall had only made the line-up because of his walk-on song (The Killers’ Mr Brightside) and highlighted Price’s troubles in last year’s event, when he cut a subdued figure and finished in a lowly seventh place.

But Price retorted: “They all have their opinions, they deserve that. But there have been players in the past who’ve won majors and not got in the Premier League. Most players have got an argument (about getting selected) but they just need to keep playing and be a bit more consistent.

“If you get into one major final or win one major it’s probably not good enough, you have to back it up and keep doing it year on year. People are saying that I didn’t deserve it, or Nathan didn’t deserve it, but we have been playing well for years, and one blip doesn’t really mean we have to be kicked out. Hopefully I can back it up now that I’ve been given this opportunity.”

Price has made no secret of his dislike of the Premier League format in previous interviews. The schedule is a punishing one for the players, who must play every Thursday night between the beginning of February and May, and the 39-year-old had hinted that he could even turn down a Premier League spot prior to his selection being confirmed.

“What I said was that a break from the Premier League wouldn’t really matter anyway, because I needed a refresh,” he explained. “But missing out on the Grand Slam and going out early in a couple of the TV tournaments gave me some time at home and gave me time to realise that when I’m not playing darts I get bored really easily.

“If I wasn’t in the Premier League I would probably be worse off than being in it, so I just need to knuckle down and start being a bit more positive week after week, even if the results go my way or not. I have to look forward to it every week.”

Price, who faces Chris Dobey on Thursday, has never made it to a Premier League finals night. He says Littler will be the favourite to reclaim the title he won last year, though Luke Humphries comes into the tournament on the back of winning the World Masters on Sunday.

“Luke Littler deserves it, he’s world champion, he played fantastic for 12 months with just a couple of blips in TV events when he came up against good players,” Price added. “He’s a deserved favourite but that doesn't mean he’s going to win, there’s a lot of good players in the Premier League, and anyone can win it.”

Night One in Belfast will see Littler and Michael van Gerwen lock horns after their recent World Championship final at Alexandra Palace. Humphries will take on Aspinall and Stephen Bunting faces Rob Cross.

Tickets for the SSE Arena have sold out, but the action will be screened live on Sky Sports.

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