The PDC World Darts Championship gets underway this week and defending champion Luke Littler is the star of the opening night.
The 18-year-old won the World Championship for the first time a year ago, beating Michael van Gerwen in the final at Alexandra Palace.
That came 12 months on from his spectacular debut in the event, which saw him romp to the final where he was beaten by Luke Humphries.
Those two runs at Ally Pally have turned the Nuke into a superstar and seen darts’ popularity go through the roof.
The teenager is back to try and win a second world title and he is the hot favourite to do just that after a stunning year on the professional circuit.
Since lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy for the first time he has won the UK Open, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam and Players Championship Finals.
Those results see Littler return to the Palace as world number one, but can he remain world champion with the first £1,000,000 winner’s prize on the line?
When is Luke Littler’s first match at the World Darts Championship?
The Nuke is in action on the opening night of the World Championship, as has become tradition for the defending champion.
The first session of the tournament begins at 7pm on Thursday December 11, with Littler third on.
Kim Huybrechts vs Arno Merk is the very first contest of the World Championship, then comes Michael Smith against Lisa Ashton, with Littler following.
Who is Luke Littler playing in the first round?
The world number one takes on the Lithuanian Darius Labanauskas, who has plenty of World Championship experience.
The 49-year-old won two matches on his PDC World Championship debut in 2019, including beating Dutch legend Raymond van Barneveld.
He was even better the following year, beating the likes of Ian White, Max Hopp and Steve Beaton on his way to the quarter-finals before defeat to Michael van Gerwen.
It has been a less happy hunting ground of late, not qualifying for the 2024 edition and losing first round a year ago.
Lucky D first played in the BDO World Championship back in 2015, reaching the quarter-finals of the 2017 event at Lakeside.
Littler and Labanauskas have never played each other before.
How to watch the PDC World Darts Championship on TV and live stream
Thursday night’s action is on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Darts, with streaming available on Sky Go.
If you are not a Sky Sports subscriber, you can stream the action through a Now TV package.
Who will Luke Littler play next if he beats Darius Labanauskas?
The winner of the match will face either Belgian veteran Mario Vandenbogaerde or Welshman David Davies.
World Darts Championship schedule
First Round: December 11-19
Second Round: December 20-23
Third Round: December 27-29
Fourth Round: December 29-30
Quarter-finals: January 1
Semi-finals: January 2
Final: January 3
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