Overview
- The first-round draw is set for Thursday in Bahrain with matches played over the best of 11 legs.
- The pairing features a 53-year age gap between the 18-year-old world champion and the veteran from Singapore.
- Littler arrives after agreeing a reported 10-year, £20m sponsorship with Target Darts.
- Other openers include Luke Humphries v Abdulla Saeed, Gian van Veen v Man Lok Leung, Michael van Gerwen v Alexis Toylo, and Gerwyn Price v Motomu Sakai.
- Stephen Bunting faces Ryusei Azemoto, Danny Noppert plays Basem Mahmood, and Nathan Aspinall meets Lourence Ilagan.