Straight out of the gate in 2025, Stephen Bunting began the year in style by securing the Bahrain Darts Masters title with an impressive 8-4 victory against Gerwyn Price.
Bunting’s first World Series win comes after the Ally Pally crowd seemed to fall in love with ‘The ‘Bullet’ all over again during the festive period, with his social media presence and iconic walk-on making him the People’s Champion at the ‘People’s Palace’.
Earlier this month, it was announced that Bunting would return to the Premier League in 2025 – live on Sky Sports – and join the likes of Luke Littler, Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen across the 17 venues throughout the competition.
Thousands of fans across the UK and Europe will be bellowing out Bunting’s David Guetta walk-on track ‘Titanium’ for the next few months, with the world no 5’s loyal fans hoping to be going ‘Bunting mental’ all the way to the play-offs at The O2 in May.
“He’s a gentleman, he’s everything you want in a darts player,” Sky Sports Darts presenter Michael Bridge remarked. “He has an engaging nature”.
But where did it all start in the PDC for the ‘The Bullet’?
Bunting’s switch to the PDC
Just over a decade ago, in late January 2014, then-current BDO world champion Bunting switched allegiances and agreed to participate in the PDC after receiving a Tour Card. Since then, it’s been a wild ride for the St Helens man.
Later that year Bunting began life in the PDC with a bang at the 2015 World Darts Championship, with emphatic victories against Robert Marijanović, James Wade and Michael Smith, before ultimately succumbing to a narrow defeat to darting legend Raymond van Barneveld.
After their gruelling battle, which ended 5-4, the Dutchman stated Bunting was ‘one of the best of the best’ in front of an upstanding Ally Pally crowd. This now iconic speech highlighted that Bunting had cemented himself in the PDC by gaining respect from a darting icon.
Perhaps, this was a sign that there was more in the tank for Bunting.
The next decade of PDC events had some ups and downs, including a disappointing first-round exit against Darren Webster in 2017 after Bunting unbelievably missed seven match darts.
However, a semi-final run in 2021 and an unfortunate 5-3 defeat at the hands of eventual winner Michael Smith in 2023 were notable times where eyes were on Bunting again on the World stage.
How the darts world has gone ‘Bunting mental’
It was perhaps December 2024, at the beginning of the 2025 World Darts Championship, where Bunting began to shine brightest since joining the PDC over a decade ago.
On his way to the semi-final, Bunting put Luke Woodhouse to the sword in a 4-0 rout and cruised past two-time world champion Peter Wright to set up a clash against teenage sensation Luke Littler, where Bunting would ultimately bow out of the tournament.
“Obviously, in that semi-final, he played Luke Littler and it’s genuinely one of the first times where I was unsure which person this crowd is going to support more,” Sky Sports digital journalist Megan Wellens revealed.
“He has absolutely learned how to get the crowd in the palm of his hand, because you can even see him following his little routine that he does, where he knows exactly what he’s doing at each moment”.
Alongside Bunting himself, darts fans have become accustomed to seeing Tobias – Bunting’s eldest son – cheering him on from the side-lines. This obvious family bond showcases the down-to-earth relatability that has helped The Bullet charm his way into the hearts of many darts fans.
“He represents the normal working class and I think he is the epitome of that. But he’s so open and lovely with fans,” Wellens added.
Michael Bridge echoed this sentiment.
“You can tell he’s a nice person. He’s also a very good player,” he emphatically exclaimed.
So, with the beginning of the 2025 Premier League just around the corner, we will soon find out if the Bunting train will continue full steam ahead and reach even more dizzying heights.
Sky Sports will once again be home of the Premier League in 2025, with every night exclusively live along with the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and more! Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.
Source : Sky Sports
