Will the dynamic Dutchman Michael van Gerwen feature in the 2027 Premier League darts line-up? It is a question one of TEAM DW recently saw circulating across darting social media platforms, and one which generated quite the debate. Having recently missed out on the O2 play-offs, it’s a factor which doesn’t strengthen his claim.
However, our contributor thought answer to the above question to be a resounding yes. The reasoning behind the discussion stems purely from the fact the seven-time champion currently sits outside the world’s top 16 on the post-World Championship rankings.
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However, there are plenty of mitigating circumstances to consider. Then, of course, there is the fact that the season is still relatively young and MVG is capable of phenomenal form. MVG remains in contention to claim many of this season’s major titles.
There are countless opportunities remaining for The Green Machine to add further silverware to his already immense collection. Any deep runs or title victories would naturally propel him back up the rankings ladder. There is little doubt that MVG’s passion still burns as illustrated in the image below.
But… and it is a sizeable but… should Michael van Gerwen finish the campaign outside that top-16 threshold, then the question surrounding his inclusion in next year’s showpiece event becomes entirely valid.
As we all know, the top four automatically secure Premier League places. So, for argument’s sake, let us assume MVG is not among that quartet. Attention would then turn towards the wildcard selections. Selling out arenas is not really the PDC’s primary concern anymore – that tends to happen regardless of the final line-up. Maximising viewing figures, however, absolutely is relevant.
At the end of the day, Van Gerwen remains box office. Simple as that. While others may occupy loftier ranking positions, we are still talking about one of the greatest players ever to grace the oche. Some would even argue the greatest, or a respectable second behind the legendary Phil Taylor.
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If MVG is available and willing to play, it is incredibly difficult to imagine him being overlooked. Yes, Peter Wright has missed out in recent years, but with all due respect to Snakebite, and he was also a controversial pick on at least two occasions previously. The same was said regarding another legendary Dutchman as Raymond van Barneveld was slipping down the rankings ladder.
The line between a crown pleaser and legendary contributor, who is worthy of additional consideration in an invitational event, and a shadow of a former star making up the numbers can be difficult to adjudicate.
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Should Van Gerwen find himself languishing down the Order of Merit come January, it would still take a brave individual to leave him out of the conversation entirely. Reputation does not always guarantee reward, but in the case of a superstar of this magnitude, it very well might.
As mentioned, there is still a long way to go before this even becomes a live discussion.
Yet the possibility exists. And if it does happen, will there still be a Premier League place in 2027 for the man who has lifted the trophy more times than anyone else?
—ENDS—
Images: PDC
