Former world champion Keith Deller believes Luke Humphries is the only player capable of stopping Luke Littler’s current rampage on the PDC Tour. Littler’s latest triumph at the Czech Darts Open in Prague saw him defeat Humphries in the final, extending a remarkable run that has drawn comparisons to Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen in their prime.
“I think the problem is there is only one player that can beat him and that is Luke Humphries,” Deller told Oche180. “I think personally because he has beaten him in a couple of finals and Luke has that game that can play the big finals.” Humphries is indeed the only player to have beaten Littler in a final this year, edging him 8-7 in a thrilling US Darts Masters clash, but Littler has otherwise dominated, especially in major finals.
Littler’s 2026 haul already includes the PDC World Darts Championship, Winmau Masters, UK Open, Premier League Darts, World Cup of Darts, and World Matchplay, plus European Tour titles and a World Series triumph in Saudi Arabia. He now eyes the World Series of Darts Finals, World Grand Prix, European Championship, Grand Slam of Darts, and Players Championship Finals, though his sparse floor appearances could threaten his qualification for Minehead.
Deller, comparing Littler’s aura to Taylor’s, noted the fear factor Littler now exudes, citing Gerwyn Price’s struggles as an example. “I think Gerwyn has lost 12 out of 14. The other top players that we know are brilliant, they are just not good enough to beat him,” he said. He also highlighted Littler’s wider impact, recalling seeing two lads wearing Luke Littler shirts at a motorway services – “I have never seen that before. That just shows the impact.”
Despite Littler’s dominance, Deller warned he is beatable on the floor circuit, where he failed to win either Players Championship title in Leicester recently. “On the floor best of 11 you can easily get beat. If you are not hitting 100 averages there are loads of players that can beat you. It just seems on the TV for these games he is just different gravy,” he concluded.
