Phil Taylor has announced that he will be coming out of retirement to partner Adrian Lewis in the MODUS Super Series International Pairs tournament.
The Stoke-on-Trent duo will take to the oche at the MODUS Super Series studio in Portsmouth, with the action set to run between 23rd and 28th November.
The full International Pairs Tournament line-up is set to be revealed on the MODUS Super Series channel on 10th October, where 'The Power' and 'Jackpot' will learn their opponents.
Taylor and Lewis are the most successful pairing in the history of the PDC's World Cup of Darts -- winning the competition on four occasions for Team England in six outings -- and they'll be out to reignite a historic partnership on the south coast later this year.
Speaking to SunSport about his return, Taylor said: “I was only semi-retired! It was an offer and I said: ‘Yeah, I’d play.’
“If it was anybody else, I wouldn’t have played, seriously. With Aidy I’m going to play.
“I’m going to be excited. I’ll be a little bit nervous on the way down there.
“But once I’m there I’ll be fine. Aidy will cover me if I have a bad shot. I just tell him and he does it. ‘Aidy, hit me a 180’ – that’s the talent he has.
“I have been practising every day. I’ve been down to a local pub to practise."
'The Power' retired from the professional circuit in January 2018 after his World Darts Championship final defeat to Rob Cross, but he did try his hand at the World Seniors Darts Championship in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
The 16-time Worlds winner was forced to lay down the darts due to hip pain in 2024, with his last competitive contest coming at the World Seniors Champion of Champions in March of that year -- where he was eliminated in the quarter-finals.
Despite admitting that he still competes against top players like Luke Humphries and Nathan Aspinall, Taylor explained that he's unlikely to stay out of retirement beyond the International Pairs tournament.
He added: “Will I play after this? No. I doubt it very much. I get my pension in January – so, I will be enjoying my life. I have got other things I do now. I enjoy being at home.
“I love playing but it’s the A to B for travel, I’ve had enough of it. Even to get out of Stoke now, it can take me an hour with traffic, traffic lights and roadworks.”
