Premier League Darts: Nine players will replace injured Gary Anderson during the season
Nine new faces will replace the injured Gary Anderson during the 2019 Unibet Premier League Darts season.
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In a revolutionary move by the PDC, the nine players called up to take part in a weekly guest role are Chris Dobey, Glen Durrant, Steve Lennon, Luke Humphries, John Henderson, Nathan Aspinall, Max Hopp, Dimitri van den Bergh and Jeffrey de Zwaan.
Points won by these nine will not count towards the league table but their opponents will retain any points gained from the matches.
"First of all everyone at the PDC would like to wish Gary Anderson a speedy recovery back to full fitness as soon as possible,” said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn. "Gary’s withdrawal has opened up an incredibly exciting opportunity for the nine contenders to go out and show what they’ve got on some of the biggest stages in world darts.
"The young players who impressed at Alexandra Palace have already shown they can cut it in darts’ biggest ever tournament, while rising stars Max Hopp and Dimitri Van den Bergh have been shining lights in the growth of the sport in recent years.
"The local favourites have earned their chance to entertain the crowds and TV viewers, with every one of them will bringing something different to the Premier League party in 2019, and I’m sure they’ll cause a few shocks along the way. The PDC has always been about giving opportunities to players and we felt this was the perfect chance to do something revolutionary, as we now look forward to an exciting year of Premier League Darts ahead in 2019."
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Earlier it was announced that Anderson had lost his race to be fit for the Premier League campaign and opted to withdraw from the whole event on medical advice.
The 2011 and 2015 champion has been undergoing treatment on his back since his heavy defeat to Michael van Gerwen in the World Championship semi-finals at the end of December and also pulled out of the season-opening Masters event at the weekend, which MVG won for the fifth year in a row.
The two-time world champion, who last season won eight titles including the UK Open, World Matchplay (where he also hit a nine-darter) and Champions League of Darts, told www.pdc.tv: "I’m sorry to the fans that I won’t be there this year, I’m as gutted as anybody to have to miss out.
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"I’ve really tried to get myself right for the Premier League but it just hasn’t been physically possible because I’m in such pain when I even try and have a little practice and it would risk long term damage if I was to do anything other than rest and undergo treatment at the moment.
"This isn’t a decision I’ve taken lightly but I don’t want to let the fans and myself down by putting in performances well below what is expected of me due to my injury.
“My physio has advised me to rest for a few weeks to increase my chances of coming back stronger for the rest of the year and reduce the likelihood of me suffering repeated problems.”
The Flying Scotsman, who has won has been involved in every Premier League campaign since his first in 2011 and has reached Finals Night in each of the last five seasons - while last year he was involved in one of 'the' great legs.
His superb 2018, in which he became the third player behind Phil Taylor and van Gerwen to complete the Triple Crown of Darts when landing the World Matchplay for the first time, took his tally to 46 career titles and 46 televised crowns.
It was therefore no surprise to see him named Fans' Player of the Season.
He was clear second favourite for the title but his withdrawal will now surely make MVG's position at the top of the betting even more solid than it already was.