Luke Humphries is hoping to use Leeds United’s promotion to the Premier League as fuel for his own BetMGM Premier League title bid, as the sport’s biggest roadshow visits the First Direct Arena on Thursday.
Humphries saw his beloved Leeds United confirm their return to the top flight earlier this month, and their dramatic 2-1 victory over Plymouth Argyle last weekend secured the Championship title.
The world number one harbours Premier League aspirations of his own, and a strong showing in West Yorkshire could secure his Play-Off qualification with two weeks of league action to spare.
Humphries defeated Michael van Gerwen to claim the nightly title in Leeds last year, and the pair will renew their rivalry in Thursday’s stand-out quarter-final tie on Night 14.
"It's been a great few weeks for the city of Leeds, and I would love to be the one to top it off," declared Humphries, who has featured in six nightly finals in 2025.
"Michael needs to win games to get himself to The O2, so he won't want to create any unnecessary drama for himself, but I'm here to win.
"Winning in Leeds last year was a great feeling, and it's something I would love to repeat again.
"It should be an amazing atmosphere. I'm really up for it, and I want to make sure I'm the best version of myself tomorrow night."
Van Gerwen regained his place in the top four following his run to the Night 13 final in Birmingham, defeating Rob Cross and Gerwyn Price to move a point above Nathan Aspinall.
However, the seven-time Premier League champion was denied a first nightly win of the campaign by table-topper Luke Littler, who prevailed on a historic night in the West Midlands.
Littler etched his name into the history books at the Utilita Arena, becoming the first player to claim five nightly wins in the same campaign since the introduction of the current format in 2022.
The 18-year-old will now take on Play-Off chasing Aspinall in his quarter-final opener on Night 14, having edged out the Stockport star in last Thursday’s semi-finals.
“It was a great feeling to get that fifth nightly win,” reflected Littler, who boasts a nine-point buffer over his closest rival Humphries.
“In terms of my confidence and the way I have been playing, I always felt it was going to come at some point; you’ve just got to believe in yourself.
“Now I’ve got a few weeks to try and rack up more points and break my own points tally from last year – that’s another record I want to chase.”
Aspinall is just three points adrift of Price in third place, and the pair could potentially lock horns in Leeds, with the Welshman up against Cross in Thursday’s curtain-raiser.
Price has already claimed a hat-trick of nightly titles in Dublin, Nottingham and Liverpool, although Cross has won two of their three meetings in this year’s tournament.
Despite occupying sixth position, Cross is the only player yet to feature in a nightly final this season - a record he will have to rectify if he’s to preserve his Play-Off ambitions.
Thursday’s other quarter-final clash will see Chris Dobey and Stephen Bunting collide in a battle of the former Masters champions.
Bunting must avoid defeat against the Bedlington star to maintain his slender hopes of a top-four finish, while Dobey could also be ruled out of the Play-Off race depending on results elsewhere.
Ranking points are awarded per night - with five to the winner, three to the runner-up and two to the semi-finalists - to form the league table from which the top four players will progress to the Play-Offs at The O2 in London on Thursday May 29.
The 2025 BetMGM Premier League will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK & Ireland, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV for Rest of the World Subscribers (outside of the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria & Switzerland).
2025 BetMGM Premier League
Night 14 - Thursday May 8
First Direct Arena, Leeds
Quarter-Finals
Rob Cross v Gerwyn Price
Nathan Aspinall v Luke Littler
Michael van Gerwen v Luke Humphries
Stephen Bunting v Chris Dobey
Semi-Finals
Cross/Price v Aspinall/Littler
Van Gerwen/Humphries v Bunting/Dobey
Final
v
All matches best of 11 legs
