The World Darts Championship begins on Wednesday with 96 players aiming to lift the Sid Waddell Trophy and claim the £500,000 prize cheque. Here are some players who will be worth keeping an eye on.
Gerwyn Price (Outright 4/1F)
The defending champion is the obvious place to start, with the Welshman aiming to become just the fourth man in PDC history to defend their maiden world title.
Price climbed to world number one after a convincing win against Gary Anderson last year and the ‘Iceman’ has a fearsome reputation on the PDC circuit.
He comes into the showpiece event on the back of a third triumph at the Grand Slam last month so winning is still fresh in his mind.
It will be interesting to see how the 36-year-old deals with the hostile Ally Pally crowd after playing in front of no-one last year but he certainly has the bottle to go and win again.
Michael Van Gerwen (Outright 9/2)
Darts’ most dominant force since Phil Taylor has endured a barren year by his remarkably high standards – he has failed to clinch a televised ranking title for the first time since 2011.
However, his form has steadily improved as the year has progressed and the three-time world champion will enter with his trademark unshakeable confidence.
He averaged over 101 in his previous match – the Players Championship Finals last-eight clash with Peter Wright but if he produces those numbers over the next three weeks then he will have every chance.
Jonny Clayton (Outright 7/1)
2021 has been the year of the ‘Ferret’, with the amiable 47-year-old winning a whopping four TV titles.
The most impressive was probably October’s Grand Slam where he thrashed his good pal and World Cup partner Price for a first ranking televised trophy.
The current world rankings set them up for another collision course in the quarter-finals but the Welshman won’t be unnerved by playing Price again.
Ryan Searle (Outright 40/1)
Searle has made huge strides in 2021 and is now 15th in the world rankings after a year of stellar displays.
‘Heavy Metal’ has one of the most watchable throwing actions in the game and he is capable of some huge number when things click.
His maiden voyage into a TV final ended in heartbreak at Minehead as Peter Wright pinched the last-leg decider, but Searle more than held his own and is a force to be reckoned with.
Don’t be surprised to see the 34-year-old end up in the latter stages.
James Wade (Outright 33/1)
Could this finally be the year the ‘Machine’ breaks his World Championship duck? He has won virtually everything else in the game and is a bona fide legend of the sport.
Wade is ranked number four in the world and his UK Open win in March means his run of winning televised titles has lasted over three different decades.
He has a favourable quarter of the draw and his ability to stay clam under pressure is nearly unrivaled.