2026 PDC World Championships: Can Nitin Kumar continue historic Ally Pally run against Stephen Bunting?
Kumar becomes first Indian to win a match at PDC World Championships
They say that the Ally Pally is where dreams come true, and that was the case for Nitin Kumar last week when he became the first Indian darts player to win a match at the PDC World Championships.
The Royal Bengal pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the opening round by defeating Dutchman Richard Veenstra, who is ranked 48th in the PDC Order of Merit, 3-2 in the first round of the competition.
Kumar is featuring in his fifth World Championship this year, but never got beyond the first round in his previous appearances. The victory will see him take on ‘Bullet’ in the second round, and you can find all the key insights for this match in our Stephen Bunting vs Nitin Kumar prediction.
Against Veenstra, India’s number one set the tone early by breaking the Dutchman’s throw in the first set, but Flyers returned the favour immediately by winning the second. It was a similar pattern in sets three and four before Kumar held his nerve to clinch the decider, three legs to one. Speaking after his victory, Kumar said:
"I don't know what to say. I'm overwhelmed. If you dream it, anything is possible. There are so many good players from India, they just need to see someone who can do it, and I'm willing to be the puppet!"
Notably, Kumar had massive support in his opening match against Veenstra, but Bunting said in his post-match interview that he is the “People’s Champion,” and that he expects the boisterous Ally Pally crowd to be firmly in his corner this weekend.
Infamous Ally Pally wasp struck by Kumar in Round 1
While tensions are high are at the World Championships, one of the more light-hearted storylines has been the infamous Ally Pally wasp that has once again made its appearance at the tournament this year.
The insect has already caught the focus of the cameras at the tournament on several occasions, going after world number one Luke Littler during his post-match interview, causing the teenage sensation to bob and weave like a boxer in the ring.
The following day, the wasp hitched a ride on the collar of Ross Smith during his match against Andreas Harrysson and got the best seat in the house on Rob Cross’s shoulder later in the day while he was taking on Cor Dekker.
When the pesky visitor reappeared on Day 4, though, it got a little too close to the action and was struck by Kumar’s dart in mid-flight, with cameras catching the exact moment. Despite this, we've certainly not seen the last of the tournament's unofficial mascot just yet.
