BUNTING FACES DROPOFF FROM PREMIER LEAGUE

STEPHEN BUNTING should be dropped from the Premier League according to several darts pundits.

‘The Bullet’ became only the third player after Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen to win two Players Championships, two European Tour titles and two World Series events last season.

However, the St Helens thrower has struggled on the big stage, failing to progress beyond the third round in his last SIX major tournaments.

Bunting also ended last year’s Premier League campaign in eighth place, after suffering defeat in his first EIGHT matches.

Former pro Chris Mason believes Bunting has not done enough to warrant a place in the PDC Premier event.

He told talkSPORT: “I think they will put Bunting in no matter what. Do I think he should be in? No.

“Sometimes you just have to hold your hands up, and last year wasn’t a good look for him.

“I think it would do him good to have a break for a year.

“Bunting did all his good work at the start of the year, but it was slightly undone with the Premier League.

“But in his last five TV tournaments, he has not been good. I think that’s why he maybe will get left out.”

World No.7 Bunting was knocked out in the last 32 of the World Championship, falling 4-3 to James Hurrell.

The former Masters champion later blasted online trolls, revealing that he and his son were subjected to abuse on social media.

Pundit Chris Murphy believes Bunting would benefit from stepping away from the spotlight for a while.

He added: “I don’t think he will be in. I think last year’s Premier League campaign will come into it, and it was not good for Stephen Bunting.

“I think replacing him with someone else would give them a chance to improve.

“I also think the way things have gone in this tournament haven’t worked in his favour.

“Not just the shock defeat, but some of the stuff around it.

“He has spoken out about the abhorrent abuse to him and his son, and obviously, we are all against that.

“I also think it might make the PDC think, ‘You know what, give him a year off and take him out of the limelight.'”

Paul Nicholson, a former Players Championship Finals winner, reckons Bunting is not ready to handle the mental and physical demands of the event.

He continued: “As much as Stephen Bunting has had his best within the PDC, we are looking at what you shouldn’t do.

“By the time we got to the end of the season, he was putting everything into his darts. He wasn’t able to play on autopilot anymore because he didn’t have any petrol left.

“If you’re in the Premier League, you have to look for someone who will last the course and be able to compete with the best players in the world for four months.

“But also, someone who will be able to manage the schedule based on their family situation and what they need in their life.”

Image by Taylor Lanning.