Littler to face Lim when World Series of Darts kicks off in Bahrain

[p]The fourth staging of the tournament once again brings together an eight-strong PDC elite and eight Asian representatives, with Thursday's opening round determining the lineup for Finals Day on Friday. [/p][p]The spotlight inevitably falls on newly crowned two-time World Champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/littler-luke/0URN6Xks/"]Littler[/a], who opens his campaign against Singapore icon [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lim-paul/zTyH3B2p/"]Lim[/a] in one of the most striking generational clashes the sport has seen in some time.[/p][p]At 71, Lim remains a compelling presence on the big stage, while Littler, 53 years his junior, returns to a venue where he lifted the title in 2024.[/p][p]It is a meeting that pairs relentless modern scoring with decades of experience and crowd-winning charisma.[/p][p]World number two [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/humphries-luke/n34VOAWo/"]Luke Humphries[/a] - who eliminated Lim at Ally Pally - resumes a familiar assignment against Bahrain's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/saeed-abdulla/IJNowe82/"]Abdulla Saeed[/a], the third consecutive year the pair have met in the opening round. [/p][image alt="Bunting won last year in Bahrain" id="23cf43b2-9d9d-44f0-9fba-57d1448c532b" credit-line="PDC" guid="98269204-e732-4a0b-91e6-ad284fe10be3" original-width="2000" original-height="1298" /][p]Reigning champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bunting-stephen/xANKMtPG/"]Bunting[/a] faces Japan's Azemoto as he targets back-to-back titles in Bahrain.[/p][p]Bunting's victory here last year marked his first World Series triumph, and a successful defence would further underline his status as one of the most reliable performers on the global circuit. [/p][p]Elsewhere, World Championship runner-up [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/van-veen-gian/jgT1AT29/"]Gian van Veen[/a] renews his rivalry with Hong Kong's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/leung-man-lok/bi97bfqi/"]Man Lok Leung[/a], reprising their Alexandra Palace encounter from December 2023. Three-time World Champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/van-gerwen-michael/SU4UkKsm/"]Michael van Gerwen[/a] begins his 2026 campaign against PDC Asian Tour winner [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/toylo-alexis/SCHc0Vr9/"]Alexis Toylo[/a], with the Dutchman traditionally keen to use the early World Series events as a platform for momentum.[/p][embed guid="a4209ace-1aea-42d5-a05a-7a424da021ad" url="https://x.com/OfficialPDC/status/2011480843236024469" social-type="twitter" /][p]Two-time Bahrain runner-up [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/price-gerwyn/8dDDoW0B/"]Gerwyn Price[/a] takes on Japan's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sakai-motomu/bwXXoVMU/"]Motomu Sakai[/a], who became one of the stories of the recent World Championship on his debut appearance, while former World Matchplay champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/aspinall-nathan/KURJJrU5/"]Nathan Aspinall[/a] faces PDC Asian Champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ilagan-lourence/6NQofchc/"]Lourence Ilagan[/a] in a repeat of their clash last month, won 3-1 by Aspinall.[/p][p]The opening round is completed by Dutch number three [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/noppert-danny/YmMfGEz0/"]Danny Noppert[/a] against host nation representative [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mahmood-bassim/8zT8FDGO/"]Basem Mahmood[/a], with the winner facing a quarter-final against Van Veen or Leung.[/p][p]Following Thursday's matches, the Bahrain Darts Masters concludes on Friday, with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final played back-to-back.[/p][h2]Bahrain Darts Masters draw in full:[/h2][p]Luke Littler vs Paul Lim[/p][p]Gerwyn Price vs Motomu Sakai[/p][p]Michael van Gerwen vs Alexis Toylo[/p][p]Stephen Bunting vs Ryusei Azemoto[/p][p]Luke Humphries vs Abdulla Saeed[/p][p]Nathan Aspinall vs Lourence Ilagan[/p][p]Gian van Veen vs Man Lok Leung[/p][p]Danny Noppert vs Basem Mahmood[/p][h2][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/darts/bahrain/bahrain-darts-masters/fixtures/"]Follow the Bahrain Darts Masters with Flashscore![/a][/h2]