The fourth staging of the tournament once again brings together an eight-strong PDC elite and eight Asian representatives, with Thursday's opening round determining the lineup for Finals Day on Friday.
The spotlight inevitably falls on newly crowned two-time World Champion Littler, who opens his campaign against Singapore icon Lim in one of the most striking generational clashes the sport has seen in some time.
At 71, Lim remains a compelling presence on the big stage, while Littler, 53 years his junior, returns to a venue where he lifted the title in 2024.
It is a meeting that pairs relentless modern scoring with decades of experience and crowd-winning charisma.
World number two Luke Humphries - who eliminated Lim at Ally Pally - resumes a familiar assignment against Bahrain's Abdulla Saeed, the third consecutive year the pair have met in the opening round.
Reigning champion Bunting faces Japan's Azemoto as he targets back-to-back titles in Bahrain.
Bunting's victory here last year marked his first World Series triumph, and a successful defence would further underline his status as one of the most reliable performers on the global circuit.
Elsewhere, World Championship runner-up Gian van Veen renews his rivalry with Hong Kong's Man Lok Leung, reprising their Alexandra Palace encounter from December 2023. Three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen begins his 2026 campaign against PDC Asian Tour winner Alexis Toylo, with the Dutchman traditionally keen to use the early World Series events as a platform for momentum.
Two-time Bahrain runner-up Gerwyn Price takes on Japan's Motomu Sakai, who became one of the stories of the recent World Championship on his debut appearance, while former World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall faces PDC Asian Champion Lourence Ilagan in a repeat of their clash last month, won 3-1 by Aspinall.
The opening round is completed by Dutch number three Danny Noppert against host nation representative Basem Mahmood, with the winner facing a quarter-final against Van Veen or Leung.
Following Thursday's matches, the Bahrain Darts Masters concludes on Friday, with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final played back-to-back.
Bahrain Darts Masters draw in full:
Luke Littler vs Paul Lim
Gerwyn Price vs Motomu Sakai
Michael van Gerwen vs Alexis Toylo
Stephen Bunting vs Ryusei Azemoto
Luke Humphries vs Abdulla Saeed
Nathan Aspinall vs Lourence Ilagan
Gian van Veen vs Man Lok Leung
Danny Noppert vs Basem Mahmood