Luke Littler handed two-year PDC ban as twist in tale emerges after World Darts Championship heroics

Luke Littler, who has taken the darts world by storm with his rapid rise, is set to be banned from playing on the PDC Development Tour for the next two years. This comes after his incredible run to the World Darts Championship final, where he became the youngest player to reach the final at Alexandra Palace and the youngest to hit a televised nine-darter at the Bahrain Masters.

The World Darts Championship is the only tournament that has earned Littler any prize money contributing to his ranking on the PDC Order of Merit. He bagged £200,000 for reaching the final, which saw him lose to Luke Humphries, putting him in 31st place.

The Order of Merit operates on a two-year rolling system, with a player's winnings over the last 24 months contributing to their ranking spot. As all of Littler's prize money has been won in the last year, his position in the world's top 32 is relatively secure.

However, PDC rules state that any player eligible for its Development Tour cannot play on that tour if they are placed in the top 32 of the Order of Merit. Therefore, Littler will be unable to defend several of the junior titles he won last year.

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Matthew Edgar, a former tour card holder, has said that Luke Littler will be allowed to defend his World Youth Championship title. He shared this news on his YouTube channel, saying: "The darts he's playing, I would dare to say we're never going to see Luke Littler once again playing on that Development Tour. Luke Littler is the World Youth Champion. Can he defend that title? That's the twist in the tale."

"Yes, he can. I've looked at this,