Michael van Gerwen forced to pull out of more tournaments after Premier League blow

Michael van Gerwen is set to miss the upcoming Players Championships 5 and 6 after failing to recover from illness.

‘Mighty Mike’ was forced to withdraw from both Night 3 of the Premier League Darts in Glasgow and the Poland Darts Open last week due to medical reasons.

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While Van Gerwen’s health issue was not specified, fellow Dutchman Vincent van der Voort revealed he had required antibiotics

The three-time world champion has not played since losing to Gerwyn Price in Antwerp on February 12, the second night of the Premier League.

And his absence from the oche is now set to continue for at least two more days, after it was revealed he will miss a fourth straight event.

MVG has now withdrawn from the Players Championship 5 and 6, taking place in Leicester across Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Dutch darts star was a notable absentee from the entry list at the Mattioli Arena, which has seen a host of other big-name withdrawals.

Fellow stars Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen, Stephen Bunting and Nathan Aspinall are all also missing from the line-up.

So too is 11-time major winner James Wade, as well as promising Dutchman Wessel Nijman.

Van Gerwen’s latest absence means he will miss out on the chance to solidify his current world no.4 ranking in Leicester.

Both Jonny Clayton and Bunting are hot on his heels for prize money, boasting £638,500 and £623,750 respectively, while the 36-year-old has amassed £700,250.

Fresh blow

Van Gerwen’s latest setback means he must continue to wait to build on his impressive start to 2026.

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He began the year with victory at the Bahrain Masters, before reaching the final of the Saudi Arabia Masters, where he was beaten by world champion Littler.

MVG then suffered a first-round exit at the World Masters, where he was beaten by Damon Heta.

But he bounced back almost immediately by winning the Premier League’s opening night in Newcastle on February 5.

It was the Dutchman’s first Premier League win in 665 days, with the last victory coming on April 11 in 2024.

After overcoming Bunting, Humphries and Van Veen on Night 1, Van Gerwen then backed up his strong form with a run to the final on night two, before falling to Welshman Price.

‘Everything is uncertain’

While Van Gerwen is yet to publicly address his recent absence, compatriot Van der Voort previously revealed things were rather unclear surrounding the mystery illness.

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Speaking before his fellow countryman withdrew from the Premier League’s second night, Van der Voort said: “Unfortunately, we still don’t know for sure if Michael will play.

“He’s picked up something and is on antibiotics. I can’t say yet that he’ll be there. We’ll have to wait and see over the coming days.

“Tests are being done, and I hope they find it quickly so it can be resolved. There’s a chance he won’t be there.”

It remains to be seen when Van Gerwen will make his return to the oche, with Night 4 of the Premier League taking place on Thursday.

Jonny Clayton is the man to beat after he climbed to the top of the table after victory on Night 3 in Glasgow.