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 months 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. The biggest names in darts are preparing ahead of this seasons Premier League. Are you ready? Its 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 Nines Judgement Night.The remaining eight players will then face off once more in the battle for play-off places, with Rotterdams 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. The 2016 Darts Premier League is back on Sky Sports and MVG, Taylor and co are raring to go as they kick off the event in Leeds Thursdays fixtures:Peter Wright v Michael Smith 19.20Michael van Gerwen v James Wade 20.20Phil Taylor v Raymond van Barneveld 21.00Gary Anderson v Adrian Lewis 21.45Robert 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. Also See: Premier League players Studds Premier moments Fixtures/Results On Sky TV Ben Garland Jersey . 10 Texas Rangers jersey for one last time. Young formally announced his retirement Friday after returning to Rangers Ballpark, his baseball home for all but the last of his 13 major league seasons. San Francisco 49ers Shirts . Rousey will put her perfect 8-0 record and hardware on the line against another undefeated fighter, 7-0 Sara McMann in the main event of UFC 170, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas Nevada on February 22nd. https://www.49ersjerseysale.com/942l-jeff-garcia-jersey-49ers.html . The players spoke Jan. 13 during a Major League Baseball Players Association conference call after Rodriguez sued the union and Major League Baseball to overturn an arbitrators decision suspending him for the 2014 season and post-season. Laken Tomlinson Jersey . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. D.J. Reed Jersey .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. The NCAA has ruled Villanova freshman Omari Spellman ineligible for the 2016-17 season.Spellman will sit out the season as an academic redshirt and have four seasons of eligibility remaining.According to Villanovas announcement, the NCAA determined that Spellman did not complete his initial eligibility requirements in time. Spellman was a fifth-year high school senior last season.We are extremely disappointed for Omari, coach Jay Wright said in a statement. While we dont agree with the NCAAs decision, we are members of the association and respect it. We understand why the NCAA felt it had to rule this way.We will make a positive out of this for Omari. He will concentrate on his academics and individual development this season. In the long run, Omari will be a better student and player for this experience.Spellman, a 6-foot-9 power forward from St. Thomas More School in Connecticut, was ranked No. 18 and considered a five-star prospect in the 2016 class.Without Spellman, Wright will rely more on senior forward Darryl Reynolds and freshman big men Tim Delaney and Dylan Painter.Wright and athletic director Mark Jackson, who met with the media alongside Spellman on Friday afternoon, said the issue was when Spellmans freshman year of high school began.Spellman enrolled at Middletown High School, a public school in New York, as a freshman but stayed just two months before transferring to the Hoosac School, a private school also in New York. At the private schools recommendation, Wright said, Spellman enrolled at Hoosac as an eighth-grader. Wright said the decision to change grades was for academics, not athletics.An NCAA source explained to ESPN.com that Spellman got caught up in what is referred to as the core course timetable limitation. By NCAA rule, once an athlete begins his freshman year of high school,, he then has four years to complete his 16 core courses.ddddddddddddSpellman did complete his coursework, but by dropping back to the eighth grade he essentially took longer than the allowable four years. Though he did not even finish a semester as a ninth-grader at Middletown, the time there counted and started his eligibility clock.Because he ultimately completed all 16 core courses in good standing he is considered an academic redshirt, under an NCAA distinction just going into practice this year. Spellman can enroll at Villanova, practice with the Wildcats and sit on the bench during home games.Once he started his freshman year, his clock started, Wright said. So we get it. We know the rule. We understand the process. We dont necessarily agree with the decision, but we accept it. We just want to move on in a positive way.Wright said the Villanova athletic staff noticed the discrepancy immediately upon recruiting Spellman and brought it to the NCAAs attention, beginning the lengthy and laborious appeals process. The university, he said, worked with the eligibility center, the initial eligibility waiver committee and even appealed to Oliver Luck, the NCAAs vice president of regulatory affairs. The school also hired an outside consulting firm to help with the appeal.But the appeal was denied multiple times.After the first appeal, when that was denied, I broke down in tears, Spellman said. I didnt know how to handle it. Two days ago when they told me again [that the final appeal was denied], it was hard but it was more manageable. Im going to turn it into a positive. Life goes on and Im just going to keep on working.Information from ESPNs Dana ONeil was used in this report. 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