Danny Noppert is not allowed to participate in the Premier League Darts this year. De Fries, the number eight of the Order of Merit, has not received an invitation from the PDC. Michael van Gerwen is the only Dutchman in the field of eight participants.
The 32-year-old Noppert is not the only player from the top ten of the world rankings who is not allowed to participate in the Premier League. Luke Humphries and Rob Cross, number five and six on the Order of Merit respectively, are also conspicuous by their absence.
Dobey is the most surprising name on the list of eight players in total. The 32-year-old Englishman captured his first major title at The Masters on Sunday by beating Cross 11-7. At the World Cup, Dobey made it to the quarter-finals.
Van Gerwen is the only Dutchman in the upcoming edition of the Premier League. ‘Mighty Mike’ won the tournament for the sixth time last year, after previous success in 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. He is the record holder with Phil Taylor.
The field also consists of world champion Michael Smith, Gerwyn Price, Peter Wright, Jonny Clayton, Nathan Aspinall and Dimitri Van den Bergh.
The Premier League starts on Thursday in the Northern Irish city of Belfast and has a total of sixteen regular rounds. The darts players will come to Rotterdam on Thursday 20 April.