THE FACTS
When is the 2020 Ladbrokes Masters taking place? Friday 31st January to Sunday 2nd February 2020
Where is the 2020 Ladbrokes Masters taking place? Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
What channel is the 2020 Ladbrokes Masters on? ITV4
Where can I stream the 2020 Ladbrokes Masters? The tournament can be streamed via the ITV Hub
Where can I get tickets for the 2020 Ladbrokes Masters? https://pdc.seetickets.com/tour/2020-ladbrokes-masters
Who is competing at the 2020 Ladbrokes Masters? The tournament consists of the top 16 players in the PDC Order of Merit
2020 LADBROKES MASTERS DRAW BRACKET
(1) Michael van Gerwen vs (16) Jonny Clayton
(8) Nathan Aspinall vs (9) James Wade
(4) Rob Cross vs (13) Adrian Lewis
(5) Michael Smith vs (12) Mensur Suljovic
(2) Peter Wright vs (15) Joe Cullen
(7) Daryl Gurney vs (10) Dave Chisnall
(3) Gerwyn Price vs (14) Simon Whitlock
(6) Gary Anderson vs (11) Ian White
SCHEDULE OF PLAY
Friday January 31 (1900 GMT)
First Round
Michael Smith vs Mensur Suljovic
Nathan Aspinall vs James Wade
Michael van Gerwen vs Jonny Clayton
Rob Cross vs Adrian Lewis
Saturday February 1 (1900 GMT)
First Round
Daryl Gurney vs Dave Chisnall
Gary Anderson vs Ian White
Peter Wright vs Joe Cullen
Gerwyn Price vs Simon Whitlock
Sunday February 2
Afternoon Session (1245 GMT)
Quarter-Finals
Cross/Lewis vs Smith/Suljovic
Van Gerwen/Clayton vs Aspinall/Wade
Price/Whitlock vs Anderson/White
Wright/Cullen vs Gurney/Chisnall
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
Semi-Finals
Final
Format
First Round - Best of 19 legs
Quarter-Finals - Best of 19 legs
Semi-Finals - Best of 21 legs
Final - Best of 21 legs
PREVIOUS WINNERS
2013 – Phil Taylor (1) 10-1 Adrian Lewis (3)
2014 – James Wade (6) 11-10 Mervyn King (12)
2015 – Michael van Gerwen (1) 11-6 Raymond van Barneveld (10)
2016 – Michael van Gerwen (1) 11-6 Dave Chisnall (10)
2017 – Michael van Gerwen (1) 11-7 Gary Anderson (2)
2018 – Michael van Gerwen (1) 11-9 Raymond van Barneveld (10)
2019 – Michael van Gerwen (1) 11-5 James Wade (10)
The elite top 16 on the PDC circuit assemble in Milton Keynes this weekend for the eighth staging of the Masters. This is a non-ranking event and almost all of the field come into this tournament having not played competitive darts in over a month with the World Championship having ended on January 1st so there may be some rustiness evident in some performances which is something to be aware of.
THE FAVOURITES
Michael van Gerwen starts as the tournament favourite and will be aiming to put behind him the disappointment of losing the World Championship final by claiming his sixth successive Masters title. Such is the calibre of the Dutchman, it would be no big shock if he did triumph, but he is not unbeatable and his very short odds may not be tempting.
Newly-crowned world champion Peter Wright is second in the betting markets. Snakebite will rightfully be feeling on top of the world right now; his win at Alexandra Palace was no fluke and he is well-placed to improve on a poor record in this tournament that has seen him reach the semi-finals only once.
Gerwyn Price’s World Championship campaign ended with an underwhelming performance against Peter Wright in the semi-finals. The Welshman was fancied by many (including this author) to go all the way at Ally Pally, and he will need a strong start to the season to shake off that disappointment.
Rob Cross, Michael Smith, Daryl Gurney and Gary Anderson all have the potential to win any big event they are involved in, but they would need to show an improvement in consistency on their performances at the back end of 2019 if they are to be successful in Milton Keynes this weekend.
EACH WAY PICKS
A look at the list of previous finalists at this tournament show that, in four of the last five years, the player ranked 10th has gone on to reach the final from the bottom half of the draw. It would not be out of the question for that trend to continue with Dave Chisnall the number 10 seed on this occasion. The 2016 Masters finalist will have a point to prove after missing out on a place in the Premier League and his scoring power ensures he is a threat to anyone.
Nathan Aspinall has enjoyed a meteoric rise up the rankings over the last 12 months, winning the UK Open and making back-to-back semi-final appearances at the PDC World Championship. The Asp is a serious contender here, despite a tough opener against James Wade and a potential quarter-final match against Van Gerwen.