| 2021 Unibet Premier League Darts |
|---|
| Winner |
 Jonny Clayton
|
| Runner-up |
 José de Sousa
|
| Score |
| 11–5 |
| Dates |
| 5 April–28 May 2021 |
| Edition |
| 17th |
| Number of players |
| 10 |
| Venues |
| 1 |
| Nine Dart Finish |
| Jonny Clayton José de Sousa
|
| Premier League Darts |
| < 2020 | 2021 | 2022 > |
The 2021 Unibet Premier League Darts was a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation and the seventeenth edition of the tournament. The event was scheduled to begin on Thursday 4 February at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff and end with the play-offs at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin on Thursday 27 May, but due to the continuation of the COVID-19 outbreak,[1][2] was delayed to begin with the first nine rounds taking place from 5 April behind closed doors at the Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes.[3] On 22 March 2021, it was then confirmed that all the fixtures would take place in Milton Keynes, with the playoffs taking place on Friday 28 May; up to 1,000 people were allowed to attend from Monday 24 May.[4]
Glen Durrant was the reigning champion, having beaten Nathan Aspinall 11–8 in the 2020 final, but a run of seven successive defeats saw him eliminated on night seven;[5] Durrant eventually became the first player in Premier League Darts history to fail to score a single point. Rob Cross was also eliminated from the competition for a second consecutive year on the eighth night, despite earning seven points, which is the most by an eliminated player since elimination came into effect in 2013.
Two nine-dart finishes were thrown during the tournament. Jonny Clayton threw a nine-darter against José de Sousa on Night Three, and the very next day, de Sousa threw a nine-darter of his own against Nathan Aspinall. He also hit 11 maximum scores of 180 during the match, equalling the Premier League record set by Gary Anderson in 2011.[6] De Sousa threw 96 maximums during the tournament, surpassing Gary Anderson's record of 79.
For the first time, the playoffs featured four players from four nations: Michael van Gerwen from the Netherlands, Jose de Sousa from Portugal, Nathan Aspinall from England, and Jonny Clayton from Wales.
Jonny Clayton won his second individual televised title, defeating fellow debutant José de Sousa 11–5 in the final. He became the first Welshman to win the event, the first champion to have finished fourth in the league phase, and the first person to defeat Michael van Gerwen in a Premier League semi-final.[7]
- ^ Phillips, Josh. "Fresh look revealed for 2021 Premier League with schedule confirmed". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ Allen, Dave. "Unibet Premier League reverts to ten players in 2021". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ Allen, Dave. "2021 Unibet Premier League update + 2022 dates confirmed". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- ^ Allen, Dave. "2021 Unibet Premier League To Conclude In Milton Keynes In May". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ "Premier League Darts 2021: Reigning Champion Glen Durrant eliminated". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
- ^ Phillips, Josh (8 April 2021). "De Sousa hits nine-darter & equals 180s record on Night Four". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ Banks, Jamie. "Clayton caps amazing debut season with Unibet Premier League glory". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 28 May 2021.