Thursday 1 February 2018 18:39, UK
Fresh from Rob Cross' exceptional World Championship title-winning performance on debut, attention quickly turns towards this year’s Premier League Darts, exclusively live on Sky Sports.
The 'Voltage' is one of four debutants in the 10-man field as the sport's widest-reaching event continues to break new ground following the introduction of a visit to Berlin.
Cross, joined by Daryl Gurney, Mensur Suljovic and Gerwyn Price in making first-time appearances, will join heavyweight names like Michael van Gerwen, Raymond van Barneveld, Gary Anderson and Peter Wright while Michael Smith and Simon Whitlock will return to the Premier League scene.
The action begins in Dublin with world No 1 Van Gerwen bidding to defend his title and claim a third consecutive Premier League success.
Here, we profile the contenders in with a chance of lifting the trophy at The O2, on Play-Offs night, on May 17.
PDC Order of Merit - 1st
2018 World Championship - Semi-Finals
Premier League previous - Winner (2013, 2016, 2017)
2017 season - UK Open - DNS; Premier League - Winner; Matchplay - QF; Grand Prix - R1; Grand Slam - Winner; European Championship - Winner; Players Championship - Winner
Michael van Gerwen will be aiming for a third consecutive Premier League title in 2018.
Since making his debut in this event back in 2013, 'The Green Machine' has topped the league phase for five consecutive years, winning three titles and reaching the final on all five occasions.
Van Gerwen will be hungry to bounce back after his dramatic sudden-death defeat to Rob Cross in the World Championship semi-finals.
This ended his incredible unbeaten run which dated back to October, but he'll still take some stopping this year.
PDC Order of Merit - 2nd
2018 World Championship - L32
Premier League previous - Runner-Up (2017)
2017 season - UK Open - Winner; Premier League -Runner-Up; Matchplay - Runner-Up; Grand Prix - QFs ; Grand Slam - Runner-Up; European Championship - QFs; Players Championship - R1
Peter Wright will be seeking redemption after last year's Premier League heartbreak.
'Snakebite' squandered six match darts against Van Gerwen in last year's final, but he still enjoyed the best year of his career to date in 2017; winning 11 titles, including his maiden TV major at the UK Open.
He Is one of the most consistent performers on tour and will be confident of making the play-offs for just the second time in his Premier League career.
PDC Order of Merit - 3rd
2018 World Championship - Winner
Premier League previous -N/A
2017 season - UK Open - L16; Premier League - N/A ; Matchplay - L16; Grand Prix - R1; Grand Slam - QFs; European Championship - Runner-Up; Players Championship - SFs
It's been an astonishing rise to prominence for Rob Cross.
Twelve months ago he was preparing to turn professional and now he is a world champion with a lucrative spot in the 2018 Premier League.
He claimed four Players Championship titles on the Pro Tour circuit in 2017 and also reached his maiden TV final at the European Championship.
Nevertheless, he came of age at the Alexandra Palace, defeating Van Gerwen in a semi-final classic, before thrashing Taylor with an imperious display in the final.
PDC Order of Merit - 5th
2018 World Championship - Quarter-Finals
Premier League previous - Winner (2011, 2015)
2017 season - UK Open - L64; Premier League - SFs ; Matchplay - L16; Grand Prix - DNS; Grand Slam - SFs; European Championship - DNQ; Players Championship - R1
Gary Anderson will be vying for a third Premier League title as he makes his eighth consecutive appearance in this event.
'The Flying Scotsman' defeated Adrian Lewis to clinch the title on his debut in 2011, before defeating Michael van Gerwen in a thrilling 2015 final.
Anderson's best appearance in a ranking major in 2017 saw him reach the Grand Slam semi-finals, but he also won three World Series titles throughout the year.
The Scot has made the Premier League play-offs for four straight years and he'll be strongly fancied to extend that run in 2018.
PDC Order of Merit - 6th
2018 World Championship -L32
Premier League previous -N/A
2017 season - UK Open - SFs; Premier League - N/A ; Matchplay - SFs; Grand Prix - Winner; Grand Slam - QFs; European Championship - SFs; Players Championship - QFs
Daryl Gurney will make his Premier League debut in 2018 after enjoying the best year of his career to date.
'Super-Chin' won his first Pro Tour title back in April, before securing his maiden televised title at the World Grand Prix, where he defeated Simon Whitlock in a thrilling final.
Gurney has arguably been the most consistent performer in this year's televised majors.
Prior to this year's World Championship, the Northern Irishman had reached the quarter-finals of every ranking major this year, which saw him rise to a career high of fourth in the world.
PDC Order of Merit - 7th
2018 World Championship - L16
Premier League previous -N/A
2017 season - UK Open - DNS; Premier League - N/A ; Matchplay - QFs; Grand Prix - SFs; Grand Slam - QFs; European Championship - QFs; Players Championship - L32
Mensur Suljovic has also been handed his Premier League debut after enjoying another fine year on the PDC circuit.
'The Gentle' won his maiden TV title in September's Champions League of Darts, defeating Wright, Dave Chisnall, Raymond van Barneveld and Gary Anderson en route to glory.
The enigmatic Austrian has become a very popular figure with the fans and his lethal combination finishing combined with his composure under pressure will make him a dangerous contender.
PDC Order of Merit - 11th
2018 World Championship -Quarter-Finals
Premier League previous -Winner (2014)
2017 season - UK Open - QFs; Premier League - 6th ; Matchplay - L16; Grand Prix - QFs; Grand Slam - L16; European Championship - DNQ; Players Championship -R1
Raymond van Barneveld will be the elder statesman of the Premier League this year in the absence of Phil Taylor.
Van Barneveld has reached the play-offs in eight of his previous 12 appearances and defeated Taylor and Michael van Gerwen on the same night to lift the title back in 2014.
The five-time world champion relishes the big occasion, as evidenced by his wins over Van Gerwen and Anderson in last year's group-phase.
However, he hasn't reached the play-offs since 2015 and with the array of newcomers in this year's field, he may sense an opportunity.
PDC Order of Merit - 13th
2018 World Championship - L16
Premier League previous -N/A
2017 season - UK Open -Runner-Up ; Premier League - N/A; Matchplay -R1; Grand Prix - L16; Grand Slam - Group-Stages; European Championship -L16; Players Championship - L32
Gerwyn Price is the fourth and final debutant in this year's event.
'The Iceman' has been rewarded for reaching two televised finals in 2017; following up his appearance in the UK Open Final by reaching the World Cup Final alongside his fellow countryman Mark Webster.
Price lost out to MvG in a dramatic last 16 clash at the Ally Pally, where he missed set darts for a 3-2 lead, but the box-office Welshman will relish the prospect of performing on the biggest stages of all.
PDC Order of Merit - 9th
2018 World Championship - L32
Premier League previous -Finalist (2012)
2017 season - UK Open - QFs; Premier League - N/A; Matchplay -L16; Grand Prix - Runner-Up; Grand Slam - Group-Stages; European Championship -QFs; Players Championship - L32
Simon Whitlock has been handed a Premier League return after reaching his first major TV final since 2013 at the World Grand Prix.
'The Wizard' lost out to Daryl Gurney in a thrilling final and also reached the quarter-finals at both the UK Open and the European Championship earlier in the year.
This has seen the 2012 Premier League finalist regain his place in the world's top 10.
However, the Australian's last Premier League appearance in 2014 saw him relegated after registering just five points from nine games, so he'll be desperate to make amends this time around.
PDC Order of Merit - 12th
2018 World Championship - L32
Premier League previous -10th (2016)
2017 season - UK Open -L16 ; Premier League - N/A; Matchplay -R1; Grand Prix - R1; Grand Slam - L16; European Championship -QFs; Players Championship - R1
Michael Smith will make his Premier League return in 2018, having been relegated in his debut campaign two years ago.
The former World-Youth champion registered the solitary victory back in his 2016 appearance, but he returns a more experienced proposition this year.
'Bully Boy' claimed his first PDC ranking title in nearly two years at the Gibraltar Darts Trophy in May and has produced some dazzling darts in recent months - missing match darts to defeat eventual winner Rob Cross in round-two of the World Championship.
If he can maintain his prolific scoring power, Smith will be a match for anyone in this year's competition.
The 2018 Premier League is the next major darting event on Sky Sports, running from February to May.
Dublin's hugely popular 3Arena will open the 2018 season on Thursday, February 1 from 7pm on Sky Sports Action with the season concluding at the Play-Offs on May 17 at The O2 in London.
Keep up to date with the latest darts news, previews, reports, reaction and expert analysis. Get all the latest at sky.mnosports.com/darts and join in the conversation @SkySportsDarts- don't forget to use #LoveTheDarts
