NORTH-EAST darts duo Chris Dobey and Glen Durrant will make their debuts in this season’s Unibet Premier League after the PDC were forced to reorganise the competition following the withdrawal of former champion Gary Anderson.

Anderson pulled out of the Premier League, which starts with an opening round of matches at Newcastle’s Metro Radio Arena on Thursday night, because of a back injury.

Instead of replacing Anderson directly, tournament organisers have opted to select nine different players to compete in the opening nine rounds of Premier League matches.

Geordie star Dobey, who impressed at the recent World Championships at Alexandra Palace, will compete in Thursday’s season-opener at Newcastle, taking on Mensur Suljovic.

Teessider Durrant, who secured his PDC tour card last month after winning his third successive BDO World title at Frimley Green, will compete on the second night of action in Glasgow, lining up against Daryl Gurney.

Other invited players include World Championships semi-finalist Nathan Aspinall, rising star Luke Humphries and overseas duo Dimitri van den Bergh and Jeffrey de Zwaan.

Points won by the nine contenders will not count towards the league table, with the top four players progressing to finals night at London’s O2 Arena, but their opponents will retain any points gained from matches against an invited player.

“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,” said PDC chairman Barry Hearn.

“The local favourites have earned their chance to entertain the crowds and TV viewers, with every one of them bringing something different to the Premier League party. I’m sure they’ll cause a few shocks along the way.”