Luke Littler hints he'll boycott World Cup of Darts and Stephen Bunting could benefit

has thrown his hat in the ring to replace if he decides to boycott the upcoming World Cup of Darts. The reigning world champion was left frustrated by the crowd at the recent German Darts Grand Prix, where he was beaten by Gian van Veen in the semi-finals. The Dutchman posted a blistering average of 110.81 on his way to a 7-4 victory over his teenage rival.

Littler was left furious with the Munich crowd, with many fans backing his opponents during his run to the semi-finals. After crashing out of the tournament, and hinted that he would not be returning to Germany until the European Tour finale in October.

This would see Littler skip the World Cup, which is being held in Frankfurt in June. He is widely expected to team up with Luke Humphries to represent England but there is seemingly a chance that he will decide to boycott the event.

Bunting would be next in line to replace Littler if he misses the World Cup and has made no secret of his desire to play for England later this year.

He told Tungsten Tales: "Luke has put a few posts on the socials about not going back to Germany. If he doesn't go back to Germany, that means I'm in the World Cup, doesn't it?"

Bunting was also quizzed on Littler's tendency to wind up Liverpool fans ahead of the Premier League returning to the city later this week.

"I think it's a dangerous path that you could go down," said The Bullet. "Obviously, you don't want to get the fans hating you. For me, it's always been about showing my personality, whether it be TikTok or YouTube, and showing what I'm about.

"Showing the fans something different, a different side. I know football rivalries aside, people all boo and cheer for the favourites."

Only time will tell if Littler decides to skip the World Cup, potentially opening the door for Bunting to make his debut at the tournament. He is coming off a mixed start to the year, having reached the World Championship semi-finals back in January.

Bunting went on to make the quarter-finals of the World Masters but has endured a torrid time in the Premier League. He was forced to wait until week nine for his first nightly victory and sits at the bottom of the table with just eight points to his name.