Thursday 4 February 2016 17:39, UK
Premier League Darts 2016 kicks off on Thursday night as the best players in the world prepare to descend on the First Direct Arena in Leeds - live on Sky Sports.
The first week of action will see reigning champion Gary Anderson take on Adrian Lewis, in a rematch of last month's PDC World Championship final, while there will be another heavyweight clash between six-time champion Phil Taylor and 2014 winner Raymond van Barneveld.
Also on Thursday night, Michael Smith will make his Premier League Darts debut against Peter Wright in the opening game. 2013 champion Michael van Gerwen, who has lost in the final in the last two years, will open his campaign against 2009 winner James Wade, and the night concludes with a clash between Robert Thornton and Dave Chisnall.
It's just the first night of action that will see every player face each other over the course of the next nine weeks, before the bottom two players are eliminated following Week Nine's Judgement Night.
The remaining eight players will then face off once more in the battle for play-off places, with Rotterdam's Ahoy Arena set to stage a league night for the first time before the semi-finals and final take place at The O2 in London on Thursday, May 19.
Thursday's fixtures:
Peter Wright v Michael Smith 19.20
Michael van Gerwen v James Wade 20.20
Phil Taylor v Raymond van Barneveld 21.00
Gary Anderson v Adrian Lewis 21.45
Robert Thornton v Dave Chisnall 22.30
You can watch the opening night live on Sky Sports 1 from 7pm on Thursday, we will be building up to the coverage this week and our live blog here at www.skysports.com/darts and on the Sky Sports app will keep you up to date with all the action.
