Premier League Darts 2015: Schedule, Players to Watch, Live Stream and TV Info
Premier League Darts returns on Thursday with Raymond van Barneveld looking to defend his 2014 crown against a lineup of incredible quality.
World No. 1 Michael van Gerwen is an obvious favourite, while Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis and world champion Gary Anderson are also potential winners.
In fact, it is difficult to discount any of the 10 participants ahead of the Leeds opener, with Stephen Bunting, James Wade, Peter Wright, Dave Chisnall and Kim Huybrechts the other contenders.
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Read on for a full schedule of this season's action as well as television and live streaming details and a closer look at some of the contenders for the 2015 crown.
| Feb. 5 | Week 1 |
| Dave Chisnall v Peter Wright | |
| Raymond van Barneveld v Adrian Lewis | |
| Kim Huybrechts v Michael van Gerwen | |
| Gary Anderson v Phil Taylor | |
| Stephen Bunting v James Wade | |
| Feb. 12 | Week 2 |
| Peter Wright v Gary Anderson | |
| Michael van Gerwen v Stephen Bunting | |
| Adrian Lewis v Phil Taylor | |
| James Wade v Kim Huybrechts | |
| Dave Chisnall v Raymond van Barneveld | |
| Feb. 19 | Week 3 |
| James Wade v Dave Chisnall | |
| Peter Wright v Raymond van Barneveld | |
| Phil Taylor v Stephen Bunting | |
| Michael van Gerwen v Gary Anderson | |
| Adrian Lewis v Kim Huybrechts | |
| Feb. 26 | Week 4 |
| Kim Huybrechts v Dave Chisnall | |
| Gary Anderson v James Wade | |
| Michael van Gerwen v Adrian Lewis | |
| Stephen Bunting v Raymond van Barneveld | |
| Phil Taylor v Peter Wright | |
| March 5 | Week 5 |
| Raymond van Barneveld v Kim Huybrechts | |
| James Wade v Phil Taylor | |
| Adrian Lewis v Stephen Bunting | |
| Peter Wright v Michael van Gerwen | |
| Dave Chisnall v Gary Anderson | |
| March 12 | Week 6 |
| Stephen Bunting v Dave Chisnall | |
| Raymond van Barneveld v James Wade | |
| Phil Taylor v Michael van Gerwen | |
| Gary Anderson v Adrian Lewis | |
| Kim Huybrechts v Peter Wright | |
| March 19 | Week 7 |
| James Wade v Adrian Lewis | |
| Peter Wright v Stephen Bunting | |
| Raymond van Barneveld v Phil Taylor | |
| Kim Huybrechts v Gary Anderson | |
| Dave Chisnall v Michael van Gerwen | |
| March 26 | Week 8 |
| Adrian Lewis v Dave Chisnall | |
| Gary Anderson v Stephen Bunting | |
| Peter Wright v James Wade | |
| Michael van Gerwen v Raymond van Barneveld | |
| Phil Taylor v Kim Huybrechts | |
| April 2 | Week 9 |
| Michael van Gerwen v James Wade | |
| Stephen Bunting v Kim Huybrechts | |
| Gary Anderson v Raymond van Barneveld | |
| Phil Taylor v Dave Chisnall | |
| Adrian Lewis v Peter Wright |
Following Week 9, the bottom two players from the league table are eliminated. Revised fixtures for Weeks 10-15 will be announced following Week 9, with the remaining eight players facing each other once more during the final six league nights, per PDC.tv.
TV Info: Each night's play can be viewed on Sky Sports from 7 p.m. GMT.
Live Stream: Live Streaming available via Sky Go.
Players to Watch
Michael van Gerwen
An obvious favourite, Van Gerwen got his 2015 off to a flying start at the weekend with victory in the Unibet Masters in Milton Keynes.
He overcame his fellow Dutchman Van Barneveld in the final—averaging over 112—having seen off Chisnall, Lewis and Wes Newton in the previous rounds.
Van Gerwen will look to open his Premier League campaign with victory over Belgian Huybrechts in Leeds, and said after his Masters victory that he feels fresh after a a winter break, per the PDC:
"I had a great holiday in the Maldives but to kick off the year by winning the Unibet Masters is great - it couldn't be a better start for me. I hope I can carry this on now into the Premier League, but first I want to enjoy this title.
"
Barney overcame Van Gerwen in last season's Premier League final and Mighty Mike will be looking to go one better this year when the final rolls around on May 21.
He claimed the title in his first appearance at the competition in 2013, defeating Taylor in a closely fought final, and he will likely be in the mix come the latter stages this year.
Van Gerwen, as world No. 1 and in his current form, is no doubt the man to beat and other players will raise their game when they face him. But he has shown in the past that he has what it takes to win at the very highest level.
Gary Anderson
Recently crowned world champion Anderson eventually fell to Van Barneveld in the weekend's Masters semi-final, bringing to an end a 20-match unbeaten run, per Live Darts:
However, despite the defeat, he is undeniably in great form and the Scot is clearly one of the men to watch in this year's Premier League.
On the way to his Alexandra Palace triumph in January, Anderson beat Van Gerwen and Wright before overcoming Taylor in a classic final.
Anderson has the ability to beat any player in the Premier League, he simply has to produce the necessary consistency to prevail over a long season.
He has proven that he can produce such consistency in the last few months—and he already has a Premier League title from 2011—and he will prove a hugely challenging opponent throughout this year's tournament.
Dave Chisnall
Something of an outsider ahead of the start of the Premier League, Chisnall's remarkable performance in defeat to Van Gerwen at the Masters is an indication of his incredible quality.
In a phenomenal quarter-final in Milton Keynes, the Englishman pushed Van Gerwen all the way to a decider, eventually losing 10-9.
However, he produced some stunning darts, averaging over 108 and throwing 13 maximums in the contest, per LiveScoreSports Darts:
That is some heavy scoring and shows that Chisnall is in top form heading into the opening week of the Premier League.
Victory in his opener against Wright would give him terrific momentum and Chisnall could go the distance this year.
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