Cross back in Unibet Premier League line-up

The Sussex ace is one of nine players confirmed for the 2021 competition, with Dimitri Van den Bergh and Jose de Sousa down to make their Unibet Premier League debuts.

This will be Cross' fourth consecutive Premier League appearance. He reached the semi-finals in 2018 and was runner-up in 2019 before being eliminated on 'Judgement Night' last year.

Cross booked his place in this year's field by virtue of being in the top four on the PDC order of merit. Had Gary Anderson won the World Championship final or Dave Chisnall beaten Anderson in the semi-final, Cross would have been outside the top four and he would have hoped to be named among the invited players.

The start of the UPL season is to be delayed due to current restrictions. The Premier League will revert to a ten-player format this year, with the bottom two players following Judgement Night after nine games being eliminated from the event.

A further seven league nights would then take place ahead of the season-ending play-offs, featuring the top four players competing in the semi-finals and final.

Reigning champion Glen Durrant headlines the nine competitors confirmed by the PDC following Sunday's World Championship final, as the Middlesbrough ace looks to repeat the glory of his debut season in 2020.

Last year's World Matchplay winner Van den Bergh and Grand Slam of Darts champion De Sousa are both included for their first Premier League seasons, although the young Belgian made a Contender appearance in 2019.

Five-time Premier League champion Michael van Gerwen and two-time winner Gary Anderson will be aiming to regain the trophy in 2021, while Gerwyn Price, Peter Wright, Cross and Nathan Aspinall are also included in the field.

The tenth player will be confirmed following The Masters, which is to be played as scheduled at the end of January.

Due to current restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic, the start of the 2021 Premier League season is now expected to begin around Easter, with details of any rearranged dates to be confirmed in due course.

The tournament had been set to commence in February in Cardiff, with further league nights planned in Dublin, Newcastle, Rotterdam, Exeter, Belfast, Nottingham and Manchester before Judgement Night in Brighton on April 1.

Fans who had tickets for any event which will be moved will be contacted by the Box Office where they purchased the tickets.

2021 Unibet Premier League competitors

Michael van Gerwen

Peter Wright

Gerwyn Price

Rob Cross

Gary Anderson

Glen Durrant

Nathan Aspinall

Dimitri Van den Bergh

Jose de Sousa

Final player confirmed following The Masters