'I've found a future Luke Littler rival – he's the best player in India and only 14'

Asian darts adept Russ Bray, the legendary PDC referee, believes helium has unearthed a prodigy with Luke Littler-like quality successful a state of 1 cardinal people

Luke Littler whitethorn soon person contention from a darting prodigy who has already been branded the champion subordinate successful India.

At the property of 14, Aryaveer Chokhani defeated World Championship prima Nitin Kumar to triumph a nationalist rubric past year. That occurrence was overseen by legendary referee Russ Bray, present a PDC ambassador aft stepping down from frontline officiating pursuing the 2024 World Championship final, which saw Littler suffer retired to Luke Humphries.

Bray is an adept connected Asian darts and has already seen capable to judge Chokhani is simply a prima of future. He said: “He’s their nationalist champion, he’s mustard. When I accidental he’s good, I mean he’s good, I’m talking absolutely, magnificently good.

“He has the close benignant of cognition and he’s surely got the close benignant of throw. I was retired determination successful July, successful Calcutta. He played Nitin Kumar successful the last of BRC, the Bengal Rowing Club Championship tournament, their large championship, and helium destroyed him.

“Bear successful mind, Nitin won done to play astatine the World Championship. Aryaveer can’t due to the fact that he’s lone 14. He’s terrific, helium truly is.

“A precise earthy dart subordinate with a precise earthy propulsion connected him. He’s got a bully cognition arsenic good and has a spot of wound astir him. He shows a spot of emotion. He could beryllium the existent deal.”

Indian darts successful wide is connected the rise, with grounds numbers attending its latest World Championship qualifying event. Bray said: “The [2023] qualifier had conscionable 35 players, that was it. When you deliberation astir however large India is…

“But Nitin Kumar won the past 1 and determination were 153 players, which was terrific. And it was enactment unneurotic successful 3 weeks. It was televised and streamed and the hallway was fantastic.

“I’ve managed to get the IDC involved, the Indian Darts Council. They’re going to beryllium putting unneurotic Premier League-type events. There’s infrastructure successful India present which volition impact each the large places and springiness everyone the accidental to play darts and assistance it get stronger, which it volition do.

“There’s a billion-odd radical successful India, there’s got to beryllium a Luke Littler, a Phil Taylor, a Michael van Gerwen. There indispensable be, it’s conscionable a substance for america to find them.”

Whether Aryaveer fulfils his imaginable oregon not, Bray has nary uncertainty much world-class players volition look from Asia. Given the size of the continent, unearthing them is simply a analyzable situation and advancement stalled during the pandemic.

Bray explained: “I’ve called darts successful Mongolia. Travel from the Philippines to Mongolia, for example, costs and it’s time-consuming. And precise fewer guys connected the Asia circuit are nonrecreational players. They person to instrumentality clip disconnected from work. It’s not an casual thing. Having said that, it’s getting amended and amended and much in-depth.”

There were immoderate notable Asian successes astatine the 2025 World Championship, including Paolo Nebrida of the Philippines making the 3rd round. He past bushed Rob Cross astatine the Bahrain Masters a fewer weeks later.

“These players are much than capable, it’s conscionable a lawsuit of getting them to judge it,” insisted Bray. “They’re not playing apical prime players each week similar the PDC players.

“But we volition find idiosyncratic retired successful Asia. It happened successful the snooker. The UK dominated for galore years but past a Chinese subordinate won thing and past the athletics was flooded with players.”