BRADFORD darts star Joe Cullen admits he will be “sulking all week” after being overlooked for this year’s Premier League, and he said he will have to keep some of his thoughts to himself to avoid being fined by the Professional Darts Corporation.

But he feels his complaints are justified, given his performance in last year’s tournament, and says he will not be the only one annoyed by the PDC’s decision.

The top four players in the world, Michael Smith, Peter Wright, Gerwyn Price and Michael van Gerwen, were already automatic picks.

But on Monday morning, the PDC confirmed that quartet would be joined in this year’s Premier League by Chris Dobey, Jonny Clayton, Dimitri Van den Bergh and Nathan Aspinall.

Wyke native Cullen said: “I don’t think the picks are justified.

“Maybe if I’d missed out to Luke Humphries and Danny Noppert, I wouldn’t have been as upset, as they’ve had good years.

“They’ll feel hard done by too, and I'd say there were at least a few lads more deserving of a spot than a couple of the picks.

“I won’t name any names, but it’s clear who I’m on about.

“I can sulk all I want though, it won’t change anything.”

Asked if the selection process needs to be more transparent from the PDC, Cullen said: “It’s a tough one, because it’s a bit of a catch-22 situation.

“If the PDC just picked the world’s top eight for the Premier League, they might end up with players they don’t want in the competition, and then they’ve hindered their own set-up.

“But I certainly feel a couple of others are as deserving, if not more so, of a pick as me.

“Not only did Luke have a great year for example, but he’s also world number five.”

The highlights of Cullen’s own 2022 were his Masters triumph and his run to the Premier League final, which he lost 11-10 to Michael van Gerwen.

There is precedent for the Bradford star’s plight though, as Jose de Sousa reached the Premier League final in 2021 only to miss out on selection for 2022.

Asked if he thought that was fair, Cullen said: “I think it was a bit different with Jose, because he didn’t have a great year in 2021 otherwise, whereas I did decently on TV last year.

“I only got beaten by either a player in the top five or the eventual tournament winner, which is what happened with Chris at the Masters at the weekend.

“I was a millimetre away from winning the Premier League too, whereas Jonny beat Jose 11-5 in the 2021 final.

“I’m as confused as many people by the selection for this year’s Premier League, and I want to say and write more about it, but it isn't worth the fine or hassle.

“Thankfully I’ve had good support on social media since the announcement, and it shows I’ve got a decent fanbase.”

One pick Cullen has no issue with is that of Tynesider Dobey, who was selected after winning the Masters at the weekend.

He beat defending champion Cullen 6-4 in round one, with the Bradfordian saying: “His 125 finish when we were at 3-3 on my throw was one of those things.

“He checked out 160 when he and Luke were locked together at 8-8 in round two as well.

“When you land those, sometimes it can feel like your name is on the trophy.

“I didn’t play badly against Chris given I’d had a month out to rest, and I still averaged 95.

“But Chris is a top lad and he deserved to win the Masters and get that Premier League pick.”